


caught in a lie

by krystalpomme



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Bully Flash Thompson, Bullying, Child Neglect, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dead May Parker (Spider-Man), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Flash Thompson Being A Jerk, Flash Thompson Bullies Peter Parker, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Irondad, Jealousy, Morgan is kinda mean in this, Nightmares, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Peter feels left out, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Kissing, Poor Peter Parker, Precious Peter Parker, Running Away, Sharing a Bed, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Vomiting, happy being a great uncle, ignoring, just a little warning, spiderson, tony isn’t very nice in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:35:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27095134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krystalpomme/pseuds/krystalpomme
Summary: "it's endless, even if i try to run. i've fallen into a lie."peter knew that everyone had moved on. it had been 5 years, it was inevitable. but when was someone going to notice that he hadn't?It would be like old times where Tony would come say goodnight to him and give him kisses on the forehead. He had said that it would keep the nightmares away and Peter truly believed it. He didn't want another nightmare of Ben and May. He couldn't.Peter waited and waited, but the doorknob never opened. Tony never came to tuck him in and kiss him goodnight.Peter fell asleep like that, looking at the door that would never open, and listened to a lullaby that came from the other room.He would take what he could get.based on: "please find the me who was innocent. i cant escape from inside this lie, please return my smile. free me from this hell. i cant escape from this suffering. please save me, for i am being punished." - lie by jimin
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 253
Kudos: 681
Collections: The Best Irondad/Spiderson Fics, The Best Peter Parker Whump Fics, The Best of the Best MCU Fics, Works good enough I will definitely reread





	1. part one

**Author's Note:**

> thank you anoncat for requesting such a great idea and carpediem369 for helping me out with providing a scenario for the fic! i hope you enjoy <3

Peter chewed his pencil at the small desk in his equally small room while looking at the chemistry problems laying between his elbows. He had been staring at the same problem for _5 minutes_ already. It was getting unbelievably frustrating. With the snap happening a few months ago, it felt like all his knowledge had gone with it. He used to be _good_ at chemistry. Peter sighed and groaned in defeat. It was nearing midnight already, he was never going to get this done without help.

Usually Peter would've asked May for help in a time like this, but she was gone. Peter lost her in what felt like seconds, which quite literally was just _seconds_. Though it was 5 years to everyone who wasn't snapped, it hadn't felt like anything to those who were. So when he got back from the battle of Thanos, Rhodey had to sit him down and tell him that May had passed away _4 years ago_.

Peter shook his head. He wouldn't think about this now, he promised himself he wouldn't think of May before bed. It would just result in nightmares. When he pushed the thought of his Aunt behind to the back of his mind, he gathered both the textbook and notebook and took it downstairs. Luckily in his case, Tony was an insomniac and usually stayed up past 1 am.

After what had happened with Peter's living arrangements, everyone had agreed that Tony would take custody of him. He had figured out pretty quickly that Tony didn't live at the compound or tower anymore, he had moved into a lakeside house that was pretty cozy and out of character for the man he knew. He also found out that he had a daughter who was _biologically_ his. Peter had no reason to be upset, he was never Tony's child. It still kind of hurt his heart to know that Peter would never be as important as Morgan was to the man.

When Peter got to the bottom of the stairs, he let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Tony working on something at the small lab he had going on. "Mr. Stark?" Peter whispered, knowing that Pepper and Morgan were sound asleep upstairs. He didn't want to wake them up.

The man whipped his head around, but upon seeing the teenager, a frown appeared on his face, "What are you doing up, Pete? It's nearly midnight and you have school tomorrow." Peter just blinked and motioned to his chemistry book, "I have homework due, but I can't understand any of it. I thought maybe...you could help? I dunno..." He said, suddenly self conscious.

It was like he was expecting Morgan to be at the bottom of the stairs and not Peter. Tony just sighed and motioned the kid over, "Hurry up, I need to get you into bed before you get cranky in the morning." Peter couldn't help but smile at that, shuffling over quickly and gently setting his things on the table.

Tony was patient with him, whispering what he needed to do for different equations, and calmly explaining Peter's mistakes. When they had finished all 15 of his homework questions, the teenager had breathed out a sigh of relief and closed his book. "Thank you, Mr. Stark. I'm sorry I kept you up."

"Eh, I'm up anyway." Peter just gave him a strained smile, a bit confused as to why Tony had been a bit distant with him. The old Tony would've said, "It's alright, kiddo. I'm always glad to help you." This Tony seemed cold and stand-offish. Peter didn't feed on it too long, hurriedly grabbing his books to escape his thoughts from growing into something worse. Unfortunately, his grip on his chemistry book wasn't as strong as he thought. It clamored to the ground with a heavy thud and Peter winced at the loud noise it made.

"Fuck, Peter, really? Morgan and Pepper are sleeping, try to be careful next time," Tony hissed as he picked up the book, shoving it into the teenager's arms with a little more force than needed. "I-I'm sorry, it was an accident." Peter whispered, not even bothering to say goodnight before he fled back into his room.

What was that? Why had Tony become so cold towards him? Was it because Morgan was a replacement for Peter? She was his biological child, it would make sense for Tony to become hostile to the child he didn't want. The child he was _forced_ to take in. Peter's heartbeat sped up. No no no, that wasn't the case. Tony was probably tired—everyone gets a little grumpy when they're tired.

"I'm overthinking it..." Peter mumbled, clutching the book a little closer to his chest. God, how he wished May were here right now. But he promised he wouldn't think about her before bed. Peter put his books in his backpack for school tomorrow and turned out the lights, crawling into bed and imagining Tony tucking him in. He thought of Tony kissing his forehead and telling him 'goodnight' before slowly closing the door.

"I didn't forget about you, May. I'll think about you tomorrow." Peter whispered to the ceiling, letting his eyes shut close and succumb to sleep.

_"Peter, how was school today?" May asked from the kitchen, facing a smaller version of Peter with a ladle in her hand. "It was so much fun! I played with Legos with Ned and then Uncle Ben took me to get ice cream afterwards!" Peter said excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet._

_May just hummed, resuming to stir whatever what in the pot atop the stove, "So you had a good day?" Peter nodded enthusiastically, "Yes! The bestest!"_

_Ben appeared behind Peter after locking the car door and making his way up the steps to their small apartment. "Ben, Peter had the bestest day." May said, amusement laced in her tone._

_"So I heard." Ben bent down to pick Peter up and rest him on his hip, "That's great actually. Considering you forgot us." The boy giggled, swing his feet back and forth in the air, "No I didn't! You're right here!" Peter said, lacing his arms around his uncle's neck. "No, Peter, we aren't."_

_The lighthearted atmosphere turned dark almost instantly, causing goosebumps to litter the boy's skin. He subconsciously raised his thumb to suck on, "Yes you are! I see you!"_

_May's eyebrows furrowed as she set down the ladle she was using to stir the stew with, "No, we aren't. I died 4 years ago, Peter." Peter just blinked, unwilling to admit that his heart was racing a thousand miles a minute. He didn't like this one bit. May never got serious around him unless he got in trouble._

_Peter thought back to what might've happened, but he came up empty handed. Why were May and Ben upset with him? And May couldn't have died. She was right here. Peter could see her right here. "I-I don't like this game. C-Can you please put me down, Uncle Ben?" He squirmed in the man's arms while looking down at the ground. He just wanted to go to his room and play, he didn't like this talk._

_Peter could smell a foul odor circulating the room now, causing him to gag harshly and tighten his hold on Ben's neck. Ben's neck..._

_It felt different. It was rubbery, yet squishy at the same time. Peter looked up and saw him. He saw it._

_Ben's face was decomposing, maggots eating at his flesh and discoloration coating his skin. Peter screamed and pushed him away, trying to get out of the man's arms. "Let me down! LET ME DOWN!!"_

_"You forgot us, Peter. We won't let you forget."_

_"Stop! Please let me go!" Peter cried, tears streaming down his face as he tried to push against the rubbery skin. "I won't forget, I promise!"_

_"You forgot us."_

_Peter turned around and saw May in the exact same state. No, not May. Please not May. She didn't deserve this. Peter sobbed as May approached, his heart pounding and itching to burst through his chest. How could it have come to this? They were just fine a moment ago. "I didn't forget. I think about you everyday." Peter whispered, suddenly feeling himself again._

_He was out of Ben's arms and he was taller. Way taller. May and Ben stared at him through glassy beady eyes, "Liar." They said in unison._

_"I'm not lying!"_

_Both of them lunged, grabbing ahold of Peter's neck—_

"I'm not lying!" Peter shot up from his position in bed, feeling the sweat roll down his skin from the terrifying nightmare. God, that felt so real. He looked around, expecting to meet May and Ben's dead eyes again. His heart didn't calm when nothing was apparent in the room, but he did exhale a breath of air. Peter glanced at his phone and noticed it was around 5 am. He would have to start getting ready in an hour anyway, so he laid back down and stared at the ceiling.

He could always go to Tony and Pepper's room, he was sure the couple wouldn't mind. Well, actually, scratch that. It seemed like the Tony and Pepper he knew 5 years ago were entirely different from the Tony and Pepper now. They probably wanted to rest and not get bothered by a teenager acting like a toddler. The couple already had one of those; they didn't need another one to add to the baggage.

Not to mention Tony didn't sleep well as it was. Peter didn't want to make it worse by disturbing him with some silly nightmares. That nightmare. Just thinking back on it made his heart thump and a wave of nausea flew over him. It was so _real_. It felt like he was entirely in the moment, like he went back in time.

Peter did breathing exercises until sunrise, continuing them in the car as Happy drove him to school, and continuing them throughout the school day. They had worked, and he held a little bit of comfort knowing he was surrounded by a lot of people and his friends. Ben and May couldn't pop out anywhere unexpected.

After lunch, he finally let himself relax and enjoy the school day. "Peter? Were you even listening?" Ned whispered from the seat next to him. "Uh..." Peter looked back up the front of the classroom to see his teacher explaining an upcoming assignment, "No? Sorry, I was spacing out."

"Spider-man things?"

Peter smiled, "No, not Spider-man. Don't worry about it." Ned just shrugged, motioning for the boy to look over at the front of the class again. His teacher was explaining a project that would be half of everyone's grade for the whole semester. "This can either help you or completely destroy your grade. The choice is entirely up to you."

"It's not a partner project." Peter frowned, looking up the words written on the board in front of him. "Yeah, but I guess it's for the best. We would be leaving MJ out." Ned reasoned. Peter nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Peter looked behind him to see the girl scribbling something in her notebook, no doubt doing a sketch of someone instead of listening to the instructions. Knowing MJ, she was probably doing both. She had slowly become part of their small friend group, the girl becoming the missing piece to their puzzle. Even though MJ pretended to hate them most of the time, Peter could tell that she really enjoyed and appreciated their company.

The teacher droned on about the project, mentioning a showing at the end to showcase their results. The project was due in two months before the start of winter break. Peter bit his lip—half in nervousness and half in excitement. This could be his opportunity to spend more time with Tony and hopefully get him to act the way he used to.

Peter loved Tony with his whole heart, but he didn't particularly like the way the older man had been acting lately. It seemed to Peter that he was always expecting Morgan—not him. It hurt his heart to think that way, but it wasn't far off from the truth. It seemed like he was constantly avoiding him.

The teacher handed out the requirements and syllabus, letting them brainstorm for the rest of the class period. MJ moved from her spot from the back of the classroom and joined Peter and Ned at their table. "What's up losers. Have any ideas for your projects yet?"

Ned excitedly took out his notebook, "Yes! I was thinking of doing something easy but not too hard but not too easy? Did that make sense? Whatever. It's a flying and working Quinjet made out of Legos!" He said, pointing to the prototypes he had already drawn up. Peter's eyes sparkled, pulling the notebook closer so he and MJ could see, "Awesome, dude! You have to let me see the finished product first."

"If it works," MJ snorted. Peter turned to look at the empty spot in front of the girl, "What are you doing?" She just shrugged, leaning her arms to rest in the table, "I'm not sure yet. Thought I might pick a few ideas off of you nerds."

Peter laughed, "Okay, well..." He wracked his brain to try and think of an idea, "I'm probably going to do a robot. One that talks to you and stuff? Like a little buddy." Ned gave him a nod of approval, "That's so cute! Mr. Stark could help you out with that, he's basically an expert."

Peter nodded his head enthusiastically, "Yeah, hopefully I'll get the chance to work with him. He's been really busy lately."

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Peter got up and collected his things, "I'll see you guys later! Video call tonight?"

"As always," Ned replied, going in for their secret handshake. MJ just nodded her head and left, leaving the two boys behind. Peter also left, feeling a bit better about his day. At least school wasn't giving him as much trouble as home was. With Tony acting different and nightmares stacked on top of that, school actually felt like a break for once.

The project was also a plus since he would be distracted by his work and hopefully spend more time with Tony. Peter felt satisfied with how the school day ended, lightly jogging down the school's front steps to Happy's car.

"Hey, Happy!" Peter said, getting into the front of the seat. Happy wasn't as grumpy with him and he usually was before the snap and Peter welcomed the new behavior with open arms. Literally. He would hug Happy whenever he got the chance to sneak up on him. "Hi, kid. What's that?" The older man nodded his head toward the paper in Peter's hand. Peter perked up, "Oh! It's my new project, it's worth a lot of points. I'm going to a do a robot that talks to you and stuff. To help you through anxiety."

"That's really cool, is Tony going to help you with that? It seems like his field of expertise." Happy said as he pulled away from the curb. "I was going to ask him when I got home. He's been pretty busy lately." Peter replied, looking out to the window to watch the buildings turn into trees.

"I'm sure he would make time for you."

"Yeah, I know."

Peter seriously doubted that, but he was hopeful.

By the time they got back to the house, Peter was already bouncing his seat upon seeing Tony's car in the driveway. If Tony was home early, then that meant he would definitely have time to work on the project with him tonight. "Thank you for the ride, Happy! I'll see you later tonight." The boy waved goodbye.

Happy just rolled his eyes playfully, "See you tonight, kid." After seeing Happy drive out of the driveway, he ran up to the front porch and scrambled for his keys. Peter knew that Morgan wouldn't be home until Pepper was, so he had a bit of time to let him know about his upcoming work.

When he opened the front door, he saw Tony lounging on the couch. Perfect.

"Hey, Mr. Stark! I'm home." Peter said with a smile, making his way toward the man. Tony looked up, hosting a vacant look, "Hey, Pete." The boy tried to ignore the fact that he didn't return the smile. Peter waited until Tony would ask him how his school day went, but after a long amount of awkwardly standing there, he decided to clear his throat, "I have a really big project coming up in one of my classes, I was hoping you could help me with it?"

He sat down next to Tony, crossing his legs and trying to meet the man's eyes. Tony didn't even glance in his direction, eyes trained on the opposite wall. "I was think of doing a robot. One that talks you through an anxiety attack since I get those a lot." Peter sheepishly said, scratching the back of his neck in slight embarrassment.

Tony didn't seem interested _at all_. It was almost like Peter was talking to himself. "If you don't want to, it's completely okay! I just wanted to ask...just incase..."

Peter could hear the clicking of the clock on the wall of the kitchen while Tony didn't respond. Some long seconds later, the older man cleared his throat, seemingly coming back to his senses, "Oh, yeah, I can help you. Let me just—"

He pushed himself off the couch and away from Peter, causing the boy to be hit with a pang of hurt and confusion. "—I need to do something really quick. Let me know when you want to start."

The man hurriedly walked away and up the steps, but Peter held out a hand, "Wait! I was hoping we could start—"

The footsteps faded away. "—now..."

Tony was gone.

Peter tried to ignore the jealously he felt when he heard Morgan come home. Tony had a broad smile of his face and he picked up the young girl in his arms, twirling her around with a sparkle in his eyes. Peter awkwardly watched from the stairs, a small paper in his hand from his previous activities.

Admittedly, Peter wasn't a person who could keep working for hours on end like Tony. He often took breaks, and the paper in his hand happened to be the result of one of them. Peter remembered that Tony liked to put up Morgan's drawings in his office, so he did a quick doodle of Spider-man and Ironman fighting alongside each other. He hoped that maybe it was good enough that Tony wanted to keep it.

Peter was no artist, but it looked really good for a doodle if he did say so himself. He tried to reason with his worries by telling himself that _Tony loved him_ and he would love it no matter what it looked like.

When Tony was done greeting Morgan, he moved onto greeting Pepper who had two big bags of dinner inside. "I picked up Indian, I hope you guys don't mind." The woman said, only looking between her husband and her daughter.

Peter sucked in a breath. Maybe she just didn't see him by the stairs. He took small steps forward until he felt like he was included in the family. "Hey, uhm—"

"Happy is coming over for dinner tonight, so I bought extra." They all migrated towards the kitchen, leaving Peter alone in the living room area. He let out a big sigh and opted to just sit down on the couch. No one ever heard him anyway.

He overheard Morgan trying to pick at the naan bread and Pepper and Tony conversing about work. Peter looked at the doodle in his hands and let a small smile onto his face. He liked it when it used to be just him and Tony.

It felt childish to admit it in his head, but he truly felt that way. Whether fatherhood or retirement changed Tony, he didn't like how the man was almost a completely different person. But he only acted this way towards Peter.

His fingers gripped the edge of the paper. No, it wasn't like that. Tony loved Peter, he would never intentionally ignore him. He was a really busy man and he's known his family more than he's known Peter. It's only natural that he would give them more attention.

He heard the doorbell ring and he loosened his grip on the drawing. Thank goodness for Happy. While Pepper got the door, he heard Morgan rustling in her backpack for something, "Look, Daddy! I made this in school today!"

Peter glanced over to the scene, noticing her holding up a piece of paper. Peter couldn't see what it was, but it didn't matter to him. This was his chance. If Morgan was giving Tony a piece of paper, then he could too. The boy scrambled up from his spot on from the couch and made his way towards the kitchen. "Wow, that looks amazing! We have our own little Picasso in the family, who knew?"

Peter smiled—a little forced—and held the paper against his chest nervously, "Mr. Stark, I thought I'd—"

"Daddy, Uncle Happy is here!" Morgan squealed, tugging her father towards the dining table where they were about to eat. Peter flared his nostrils in annoyance. Was everyone going to interrupt him today? Tony just opened his mouth and gave Peter an apologetic smile, "Tell me at the table, okay?"

Peter nodded solemnly, folding the paper and tucking it into his pocket. It obviously wasn't meant to be, so he wouldn't even try. God, he really wanted to be at school right now.

The dinner went smooth at least. Happy made sure that Peter was included into every conversation unlike Tony and Pepper had been doing which the boy was very grateful for. Tony never brought up what Peter wanted to tell him and he didn't mind. It wasn't like his stupid drawing was important anyway.

After Happy left, Peter went to his room and got on a video call with Ned and MJ after getting ready for bed. Tony was going to say goodnight to everyone soon, so he wanted to talk to his friends as quickly as possible. Ned and MJ answered at the same time, their cameras popping up on his laptop screen.

"Hey, Peter!" Ned eagerly said, sitting at the desk in his room. MJ just nodded her head in acknowledgment, focusing on the book that was nestled in her lap. "Hey, guys. What are you doing?" Peter replied, feeling a little bit better already. His friends never failed to brighten his day.

"I'm working on my project. This is going to take a millennia, but it's gonna be worth it!" Peter gave a small smile that MJ didn't miss. She squinted her eyes at the screen, "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah! I'm good...just feeling a little left out I guess..." Peter said, eyes shifting to wall opposite of him. He forgot about MJ and her attention to detail. But, it seemed like it for the best. If anyone would listen to him, it would be his two best friends.

"What do you mean? By us?" Ned said, looking a little panicked. Peter hurriedly waved his hands, "No no no! By Mr. Stark and his family...it seems like they keep avoiding me or interrupting me. I'm not sure what to do."

MJ pursed her lips and closed her book, "Maybe they're still adjusting? It's no excuse to why they should be ignoring you but it might provide an explanation."

Peter nodded his head solemnly, "Yeah, you could be right. But they don't even acknowledge my existence! I asked Mr. Stark for help on my project and he wasn't even listening to me ramble half the time! It's not like him, I'm worried."

"He's not neglecting your needs, right?" Ned said, looking a bit worried as well. "No, I'm being fed till I'm stuffed full. I just feel like I'm not _really_ a part of the family. No one talks to me except for Happy." Peter shrugged his shoulders. He really felt alone when he was at the Stark household. They never watched movies anymore, worked in the lab, or even had a normal conversation since Peter came back.

It was horrible, especially since Aunt May wasn't here anymore. Peter squeezed his eyes. He shouldn't be thinking about May. He would have another nightmare. "Peter?"

"Yeah?"

MJ showed a rare awkward smile, but Peter knew she cared, "It's going to be alright. Just give it a couple more weeks, you'll get back into the groove again." Ned nodded, "Yeah, dude. If anyone loves you more than us, it's gotta be Mr. Stark. You were always his first kid."

Peter couldn't help but chuckle, a warmth blossoming in his chest at the thought, "Yeah, I guess I was..."

Peter heard footsteps coming up the stairs and his heart rate sped up, "Guys, I gotta go, Mr. Stark is coming to say goodnight!"

"Okay, bye! I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Ned waved, leaving the call. MJ offered a wave and left as well, leaving Peter to shut his laptop and scramble into bed. He gripped his bed sheets as Tony got closer to his room.

It would be like old times where Tony would come say goodnight to him and give him kisses on the forehead. He had said that it would keep the nightmares away and Peter truly believed it. He didn't want another nightmare of Ben and May. He _couldn't_.

Peter waited and waited, but the doorknob never opened. Tony never came to tuck him in and kiss him goodnight.

Peter fell asleep like that, looking at the door that would never open, and listened to a lullaby that came from the other room.

He would take what he could get.


	2. part two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i forgot to give credit to emma who commented on ‘dear god’ asking for a very critical part of this story that will start to unravel in this chapter. i’ve tried to incorporate everyone’s ideas with a jealous peter prompt so i hope i’m doing all right so far! enjoy <333

Three weeks later and nothing had gotten better. Peter continued to work in the lab on his project without Tony there to help him. The man had never walked into the lab since Peter asked him. Maybe he forgot. Even then, Peter didn't want to have to remind the man to help with his project. If he wasn't coming then obviously he didn't want to be there.

Peter was fine with that, but he was over the moon when Tony offered to help him last night. It finally was going to feel like old times when they would spend hours together in the lab. They would joke and play fight with each other, then order pizza afterwards for a well deserved treat. Peter sat on the workbench, smiling to himself at the memory. He missed the tower a lot.

He missed how comforting it was to see his city lighting up at night, everything below him looking as safe as it should be. He missed his bedroom in the tower. He missed waking up in the morning to burnt pancakes and cartoons playing on the TV because that's what Tony thought teenagers were watching. Back then he didn't know how to parent, but he did it perfectly in Peter's eyes. It was like the two were in their own little world; they were made for each other.

Every day spent with Tony felt like pure happiness. But now, the feeling and joy everyday was starting to fade. It just didn't feel the same anymore. Peter shook the thoughts out of his head and glanced at the clock on the wall. Tony was 20 minutes late. Peter blinked, swinging his legs a little slower now.

His stomach bubbled with nervousness. What if he never showed up? It wouldn't surprise Peter, the man was avoiding him like the plague.

He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Tony walk through the door, but with _Morgan_ in his arms. "Mr. Stark! I was getting worried. I thought you forgot." Peter said, jumping off of the workbench with a bright smile on his face.

Tony didn't look enthusiastic, opting to sniff. An act of _annoyance_. Peter subconsciously took a step back and tucked his hands into his sweater paws. He knew Tony didn't want to be here. "Actually, I forgot Morgan's friend from school had a birthday party this afternoon. It was written right on the whiteboard, I guess I missed it."

Peter's heart dropped as he tried to give the older man a smile. It came out obviously strained, "I-It's okay! I'll just finish up what I was working on. Maybe tomorrow?"

Tony shrugged, "Maybe. Look, kid, I'm running late. Theres food in the fridge if you're hungry. Tell Friday if you need anything."

Peter let out a breathy laugh of disbelief. He wasn't serious, right? "Mr. Stark? I don't understand, why are you—"

"Daddy needs to hurry!" Morgan whined, clutching her father's shirt in her tiny fists. Peter blinked back tears. Did he seriously just get rejected by Tony? The older man just clicked his tongue and hurriedly sped out the door just as quickly as he came in.

Peter didn't miss when Morgan stuck out her tongue at him when Tony's back was turned, making the tears in his eyes impossible to keep in. God, Tony really didn't want to see him.

Or have anything to do with him really. Peter sat down on a stool and buried his face into his sweater. He just _missed_ Tony. He wanted to go back to when none of this happened. It was like he got a replacement for him. All the love the man had for Peter disappeared in a matter of 5 years yet Peter loved him with his whole being.

He was the only family that Peter had left. And his own _father_ didn't want to see him. "I'm so _stupid_. How did I think..." Peter sobbed into his sweater, hunched over the table.

Everything in his life had gone to shit. May died, Tony and Pepper were ignoring him, and Morgan hated him. Parker luck never failed him. He wouldn't be surprised if it came for him next.

Peter sobbed into his arms, letting out everything until his eyes were sore and dry. He just want to take a long long nap. Maybe tomorrow would be better. Maybe Tony will apologize and embrace him, twirling him around in a huge hug that used to embarrass Peter.

Maybe.

"What did you guys do at the party?" Pepper asked before taking a sip of her water that the dinner table. Peter was awkwardly picking at his mashed potatoes, trying not to think too hard about the fact that he was in the chair furthest away from everyone. Morgan was at the head with Pepper and Tony beside her and Peter seated next to Tony. He would never get a turn to sit at the head.

"Lots and lots of things! She had a pinita that was raining candy! Then we made crowns of jewels and glitter then we made our own jewelry boxes!" Morgan said excitedly, emphasizing everything by slamming her hands on the table. Peter winced, the noise and vibration itching at his enhanced powers.

Tony didn't chide her or say anything about slamming her hands on the dinner table. Instead he said, "It's called a piñata, Mongoose." She just tilted her head with an amused smile, "That's what I said." Peter had to look away.

She was just like Tony. It was ridiculous how much the two resembled each other. Peter swallowed down the thought with his own water, trying to distract himself from the family beside him. The table went silent, so Peter took his chance to tell everyone about his progress on his project.

He was pretty proud with how everything was going. He was almost done with making the body, but the hard part was going to be making it responsive to a person's feelings. That's where he wanted Tony's help.

"I've been working super hard on my project for school! I've already got most of it built, I just need to work on some circuits and wires for mobility—and of course—the program for it to respond to signs of anxiety." Peter said, looking between Tony and Pepper for approval. An awkward silence fell over the table, Morgan even stopping the action of swinging her legs.

Pepper was busy staring at her food while Tony looked natural, going for a small cube of steak on his plate. Peter's heart beat sped up, starting to breathe heavily. Was he speaking too low? No, they clearly heard him. _They were ignoring him._

He swallowed harshly, trying to hold back tears. Peter would give them a few more seconds, there's no way that they missed that. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" Pepper finally asked, looking up from her food.

Peter's bottom lip quivered, but he managed a full sentence, even with being on the verge of sobbing once more, "Never mind. If you'll excuse me."

The scraping of the chair legs against the hardwood floor was piercing, but Peter didn't care. He just wanted to go to his room and tear his hair out while he cried himself to exhaustion.

Peter ran up the stairs into his room and gently closed the door, making sure to lock it afterwards. That was the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to him. That was saying a lot; he had Flash as a bully. It just hurt more to know that Tony's whole family didn't like him as well.

He let warm tears fall down his cheeks as he walked towards his bed, curling up under the blanket and letting himself cry. Peter just wanted to go home. He wanted May. He wanted his apartment back in Queens. He wanted the tower with just him and Tony.

He wanted to be anywhere but _here_. It was miserable having to wonder if anything he said or did mattered to the family of his father figure. He hated tiptoeing around them, constantly embarrassing himself by not being heard or being ignored.

Peter just wanted Tony back. The old Tony. A loud sob escaped his lips and he didn't even try to hide it. He wailed and wailed—but no one came to the door that would never open.

_Peter, how was school today?" May asked from the kitchen, facing a smaller version of Peter with a ladle in her hand. "It was so much fun! I played with Legos with Ned and then Uncle Ben took me to get ice cream afterwards!" Peter said excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Hasn’t he already said something like this?_

_May just hummed, resuming to stir whatever what in the pot atop the stove, "So you had a good day?" Peter nodded enthusiastically, "Yes! The bestest!"_

_Ben appeared behind Peter after locking the car door and making his way up the steps to their small apartment. "Ben, Peter had the bestest day." May said, amusement laced in her tone._

_"So I heard." Ben bent down to pick Peter up and rest him on his hip, "That's great actually. Considering you forgot us." The boy giggled, swing his feet back and forth in the air, "No I didn't! You're right here!" Peter said, lacing his arms around his uncle's neck. "No, Peter, we aren't."_

_The lighthearted atmosphere turned dark almost instantly, causing goosebumps to litter the boy's skin. He subconsciously raised his thumb to suck on, "Yes you are! I see you!"_

_May's eyebrows furrowed as she set down the ladle she was using to stir the stew with, "No, we aren't. I died 4 years ago, Peter." Peter just blinked, unwilling to admit that his heart was racing a thousand miles a minute. He didn't like this one bit. May never got serious around him unless he got in trouble. But he has gotten in trouble before. This feels so familiar._

_Peter thought back to what might've happened, but he came up empty handed. Why were May and Ben upset with him? And May couldn't have died. She was right here. Peter could see her right here. "I-I don't like this game. C-Can you please put me down, Uncle Ben?" He squirmed in the man's arms while looking down at the ground. He just wanted to go to his room and play, he didn't like this talk._

_Peter could smell a foul odor circulating the room now, causing him to gag harshly and tighten his hold on Ben's neck. Ben's neck..._

_It felt different. It was rubbery, yet squishy at the same time. Peter looked up and saw him. He saw it._

_Ben's face was decomposing, maggots eating at his flesh and discoloration coating his skin. Peter screamed and pushed him away, trying to get out of the man's arms. "Let me down! LET ME DOWN!!"_

_Something about this felt so familiar. This had happened before. He was just dreaming. It was a nightmare._

_Peter relaxed and tried to coax himself out of sleep. It was just a dream. They can't hurt him, this has happened before._

_It's just a dream..._

The dream slowly faded away and Peter could feel the softness of his bedsheets again. He was back in his room. The boy let out a relaxed sigh through his nostrils and tried to roll over.

But he couldn't? It was almost like he couldn't move his limbs. Peter blearily opened his eyes, meeting face to face with something he would never even think to see in his room.

Ben and May.

They were on the ceiling. They were _looking down at him. They were dead._ Peter's heart rate increased as he tried to scream, but it came out sounding like a muffled moan. " _Ngghhhh! Mmmmh!_ " What was happening?! Why couldn't he move?!

Why couldn't he scream?! Ben and May's corpses continued to stare down at him with malice in their foggy eyes. The smell of decomposition was overwhelming, filling up his nose and his room. Peter tried to close his eyes, but he couldn't. God, what was happening to him? He tried to move, but the result was only a few fingers twitching and nothing more.

Tears escaped his eyes as he tried to calm his breathing. He looked anywhere in the room that wasn't the ceiling. Peter tried to scream again, but of course, it only came out muffled.

Eventually after trying to get his fingers to move more, his body responded and he shot up from the bed. Peter didn't hesitate to scream, clutching his hair in his fists. What had happened? Why couldn't he move? Why were Ben and May on the ceiling?

Peter hesitated to look up, only to find the wood beams empty. They were gone. That didn't quell Peter's heart at all as he fisted the fabric of his shirt in his hands. Who was telling that it wouldn't happen again. He _couldn't move_. He couldn't _scream_. Peter was completely helpless in that situation and it scared him.

He felt sick.

Peter stumbled his way out of his bedroom and made a beeline towards the bathroom, dropping on his knees to expel everything he had for dinner last night.

He heaved and heaved, sobbing with every lurch. Finally, when he was done, he flushed the toilet and washed his tear streaked face. Peter wasn’t going back to sleep, he _couldn’t_. He just wanted Tony.

He wanted Tony to cuddle him and tell him that it was okay. That Ben and May couldn’t hurt him. That he wouldn’t have these horrible nightmares anymore.

Peter rested his head against the bathroom wall, tears freshly falling from his eyes. He couldn’t do this anymore. He was so _tired_ of being alone. He just wanted to be happy with Tony again.

He stayed in the bathroom for awhile, terrified of going back into his room, the mental image of Ben and May attached to the ceiling etched in his brain. When he finally got the courage to go back to his room, a voice down the hall stopped him in his tracks.

“What was the nightmare about? Sometimes when I have nightmares, talking makes it realize how silly it actually was.” It was Tony. He was in Morgan’s room.

Peter’s vision clouded with a new onslaught of tears. He had time to comfort Morgan with her _toddler_ nightmares, but the man hadn’t heard a single thing from Peter? He hadn’t heard his screams, his throwing up, or his loud thumps as he stumbled to the bathroom?

Peter staggered backwards, knocking into a picture frame hanging on the hallway wall. It fell to the floor with a loud crash, making Morgan squeal in fear in the next room. Peter clutched his sleeping shirt.

Tony was going to be mad. He didn’t like when Peter made loud noises when people slept. As if on cue, Tony emerged from his daughter’s room when a concern face. Upon seeing Peter shivering on the floor, his face once again turned to the neutral look that the boy was used to seeing.

“Peter? What are you doing?” Peter didn’t answer, opting to pull his knees close to his chest and stop himself from having another attack. His eyes avoided the man, looking towards the picture that had crashed in the ground only moments before.

It was a drawing—made by Morgan of course—of their family. Peter counted three figures, none of which were him. The longer and harder Peter looked at the picture, the more he became upset. There was a small pile of (ash?) drawn in the corner of the paper along with the date she drew it.

_This was from a couple of days ago._ And the pile of ash was _Peter_. Normally he would let it slide. Morgan didn’t know who he was before the snap, he just knew him through the picture that Tony had up from the “internship”. Whether she actually knew if that was him or not would probably remain a mystery to Peter.

But the fact that she drew this _after_ living with him and getting to know him? It hurt. It stung a lot more than it should’ve. “W-Why did you frame that?” Peter asked, words wobbly and nasally as he tried to keep his composure. The last thing he wanted was to be hyperventilating while talking with Tony.

“Frame what? Peter, what are you talking about?” Tony took a step forward and crouched down in front of the teenager. It almost seemed like he cared which made Peter’s heart flutter, but in this moment it wasn’t enough to quell his pain. “The drawing. Why did you frame that? What is _that_?” Peter grabbed the paper from the pile of glass, shoving it in the man’s chest.

Tony knitted his eyebrows together in confusion, “It’s a drawing? What am I supposed to be looking at? Are you upset that you’re not in it? Because she really hasn’t—“

“I’m not talking about that! I _am in it!_ Right _there!_ ” Peter pointed at the drawn pile of ash with tears blurring his vision, “What is that, Mr. Stark? Why—” A big tear drop hit the paper, causing Tony to lightly push Peter’s shoulder away. “She’s just a kid, Peter. She doesn’t know the significance of the snap. She wasn’t even born yet, so let’s give her a break? To be completely honest, I didn’t even notice until you pointed it out.” The older man shrugged, flicking the paper and standing up with a groan.

Yeah. Of course he didn’t notice until Peter pointed it out. He never noticed anything until Peter pointed it out. He pulled his knees closer to his chest and buried his face in the material of his pajama pants.

Peter heard Tony sigh in annoyance, “Are you seriously this upset about it, kid? Morgan is 5. Why are you crying?” Maybe because he had just had a terrible night? Maybe because he saw Ben and May’s corpses hanging above his bed? Maybe because he saw the only person he truly had left in this world prioritize one child over the other? Maybe because the same man was dismissing his feelings?

Peter looked up with red puffy eyes, desperation clearly etched in his face, “Because I want your family to like me.” Tony leaned against the beam of Peter’s door, looking at Peter’s face with an emotion that he couldn’t quite describe. In all honesty, it made him uncomfortable.

“They like you, Peter. If they didn’t, you wouldn’t be here.”

...

The silence was deafening, the only sound that could be heard was the clock from downstairs. Peter and Tony stared at each other for what felt like hours.

It felt like water had filled up Peter’s lungs and suddenly he couldn’t breathe. Did Tony actually just say that? His breathing got more sporadic as he hurriedly got up and made his way into his bedroom.

Peter slammed the door in Tony’s face, making sure to lock it for good measure. It didn’t matter, Tony never knocked or even acknowledged his outburst outside of that door. Peter was alone.

He was truly alone.

Peter stayed up for the rest of the night, huddled in his closet in fear that Ben and May would reappear somewhere in his room. He had cried his eyes out all night since he had a few hours to be drowning in his thoughts. Tony didn’t care about him. Tony didn’t love him. He would always choose his family over Peter. Peter wasn’t even considered family.

When the sun rose, he crawled out of his closet and pulled on his clothes. When he went to the bathroom to do his business, he met his reflection. It looked like he hadn’t slept in years. His face had a grey-ish hue and his eye bags were in the spotlight.

Peter looked like shit.

It didn’t really matter to him, Tony was the only person who Peter would basically live for. He was the only thing that kept him grounded. Not to mention he was the only family that he had left. It looked like that wasn’t true. His family ended with May and Peter would be alone for the rest of his life.

By the time he made it downstairs, everyone had left the house already. The only thing that was on the counter was a honeybun with a sticky note attached to it. _I’m sorry Bambino — TS_

Peter just blinked, grabbing the honeybun and tucking the sticky note in his back pocket. At least he had breakfast for once. He heard Happy pull up in the gravel driveway, so he made his way out of the house, not forgetting to lock it up.

When he got into the car, he didn’t say his usual greeting to Happy. It wasn’t that he didn’t _want_ to; he was just exhausted. The thought of having to get through the school day was finally dawning on Peter.

Maybe he could take a nap during lunch. He always disappeared for patrols so it wouldn’t be too obvious that he left to nap in a nearby park.

“Good morning, kid.” Happy said after he waited for Peter’s enthusiastic greeting that (obviously) never came. “G’morn Happy.” Peter said, leaning his head against the seatbelt and closing his eyes. Maybe he could just nap in here. It was quite a while until they got to the city, he could get a good 45 minutes in.

Ben and May wouldn’t appear here. He was safe with Happy.

Happy watched as Peter fell asleep, the steady rise and fall of his chest confirming that he was completely out of it. He knew something was going on with Peter. He had slowly stopped talking, he didn’t seem excited about school anymore, and he stopped talking about his favorite person; Tony.

This morning was just a confirmation that something was going on. Peter’s eyes were red and puffy, indicating that he had been crying at some point. He had deep, dark eye bags and his complexion was starting to look really bad.

Happy could bet Peter would land a role in a Tim Burton film in a couple of weeks if this kept up. He decided to keep an eye on the boy, a promise to May that he planned on keeping. When Peter was gone, Happy and May had blossomed what would’ve been a romance if she hadn’t passed away so soon.

She had said that if there was a sliver of a chance that Peter would magically come back, that he _had_ to keep an eye on him. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Tony, she just wanted some extra security incase he messed up.

Happy used his free hand to gently run his fingers through Peter’s curls. The poor boy had been through hell and back; he would find out what was causing him so much hurt.

He reluctantly woke up Peter when they arrived at Midtown, shaking his shoulder and grabbing his backpack for him, “Wake up, kid. School time.”

Peter groaned, grabbing his bag and unbuckling his seatbelt, “Thank you, Happy. I’ll see you later.”

“Don’t forget to eat your breakfast!” He called out as Peter exited the car, yawning and waving goodbye. Happy watched as Peter entered the building, pulling away from the curb with a satisfied huff.

A little while later, Happy noticed that something must have dropped from Peter’s backpack. He just hoped it wasn’t homework or something important, NYC traffic was no joke at this hour. At a red light, he leaned down and grabbed the paper to take a look before he got to far away.

If it was important, then he didn’t want to make a whole round trip again through the city. He read the paper, seeing that it was a flyer for Peter’s project that he was talking about a few weeks ago.

It was for a showing of everyone’s finished projects, taking place before the kids went off on winter break. Happy shrugged, tucking it in the glove compartment so he didn’t forget.

It was a little weird that Peter had a flyer clearly meant for parents just sitting in his bag for days. Why hadn’t he given it to Tony and Pepper already?

Maybe he didn’t want to tell them just yet. Happy couldn’t pinpoint exactly where his discomfort was coming from, but he knew one thing for sure. He needed to keep a closer eye on Peter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things about about to get very hairy for peter in the next chapter, so get your tissues ready!! it involves a very angry tony (and don’t worry, there is no abuse at all in this fic). also, it isn’t proof read so i know there are plenty of mistakes in there. i just needed to get it out asap so i can work on some other things. i hope you guys enjoyed and i’ll try to get the next chapter out as soon as i can 💓✨ 
> 
> and a little question for everyone reading; are the chapter lengths okay? they’re in between 4-5k words so let me know if it seems too short, too long, or just fine. i really appreciate it!


	3. part three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: description of blood (minor)
> 
> this chapter isn’t edited so there are many mistakes. i’ll come back and fix it in the morning, i just wanted you guys to enjoy this chapter as soon as possible.

As the days continued, Peter started losing his enthusiasm for almost everything. He didn't watch any of the series he was on, opting to lay in bed and think about how much sleep he was losing. Peter wouldn't go to sleep by himself; he kept himself awake until he passed out all on his own, ensuring a deep enough sleep where he wouldn't dream.

He couldn't take another dream of Ben and May, it was too much for him. The only thing he was consistently on top of was his science project. He moved all the stuff he had from the lab to his own room incase Tony would get upset with him. The last thing Peter needed was Tony throwing him out of the lab because he was making a mess.

Peter thought about the showing for the projects, hands grabbing for the extra flyers he got in class. The first one he had was gone; it must've fallen out in Happy's car. He was still debating whether or not he _wanted_ Tony and Pepper to go. If you had asked him a couple of months ago, he would've been jumping up and down in excitement at the mere prospect of showing the couple something he worked on all by himself.

Things were different now. Yet, deep down inside, Peter _really_ wanted his parents there. He never had the opportunity for anyone to see his academic achievements. Growing up, no one would be there for his award days at school. Peter had to watch everyone else's parents in the crowd, clapping enthusiastically for their child while he had no one. His parents died before he was even in school and Ben and May were constantly working. They couldn't show up even if they wanted to.

So when Peter's teacher handed everyone this slip of paper, it seemed like a bit of hope for him. It was always his dream to have his parents give him a hug and a proud smile. Peter clutched his sweater just imagining it, a small smile on his lips.

Then and there, he decided he would subtly let them know about the showing. Peter admittedly was afraid of talking to them now. He didn't want to be ignored again and embarrassed in front of everyone.

He knew that they had a whiteboard for events and reminders that they constantly checked, not to mention the magnets on the refrigerator would help a lot in his case.

Peter grabbed the extras and quietly made his way downstairs. No one was home; it was a half day at school so Happy picked him up early. Tony and Pepper were still at work while Morgan was still in school. If he had an opportunity, now was the time.

He made sure to put the first flyer on the fridge—front and center. It was almost impossible to miss which made Peter feel a bit better. He wrote the event on the whiteboard and moved on upstairs to Tony's room. He put the last flyer in Tony's favorite jacket. It was getting cold in the current winter season, them already being halfway into December.

Tony never left the house without this jacket when he knew it was going to be cold. Peter let out a huff of satisfaction, scurrying back into his own room just incase Friday alerted the older man that he was in there.

Now, to work on his project.

When Morgan got home, she noticed Peter was nowhere to be seen (what's new). He was holed up in his room again, probably not going to come out until dinner time. She was happy with that.

She didn't like how a random kid had showed up and lived with them out of nowhere. Apparently her father knew him before she was born, but he didn't seem to like Peter that much if that was the case. Either way, it didn't matter to her. She wanted Peter gone.

Even though he rarely showed up anymore, his presence alone was enough to set Morgan in a bad mood. It was obvious to the five year old that he wanted her father's attention, and thankfully he wasn't getting it.

Morgan ran upstairs to set her backpack down before going back down to the kitchen where Pepper was. Her mother was sifting through the mail, back turned towards the refrigerator. Morgan squinted her eyes towards a new paper on display.

She didn't know what it said, but she recognized Peter's high school logo in the corner. A wave of jealousy flew over her as she walked closer to the flyer. "Mommy, can I put something up on the fridge?" She didn't want anything of Peter's on the refrigerator, that was where _her_ things got displayed.

"Yeah, sweetheart, go ahead. Make sure to bring the stool around so you can reach." Pepper said without turning around. Morgan nodded enthusiastically before grabbing the stool from the pantry. She would make sure none of Peter's things ever touched her space again.

Morgan reached up and plucked the magnet off the paper, crumbling it into a ball as quietly as she could. It didn't matter either way, Pepper was getting ready to dial someone on the phone so she doubted she could hear. Morgan hopped off the stool and put it away before going back into her room.

She tucked the flyer under her pillow and giggled to herself. Peter would be so upset. Morgan couldn't read yet, but she guessed it was some school event or award like her school had. The parents always showed up to those, but not for Peter. Pepper and Tony were _her_ parents.

Morgan ran around the house making sure there weren't anymore of those stupid papers, looking on top of dressers and under beds. She ran to the whiteboard and saw that her mother had went outside for that phone call. Her father always put important events on there, so who's to say Peter didn't either.

Morgan went up on her tiptoes and saw a small box with handwriting different than the others. She tugged her small sweater sleeve up into her palm and inconspicuously erased it. There.

She wouldn't let Peter take her parents.

"Peter?" A hand waved over the boy's face, causing him to flinch. "W-What? Sorry...I was..." Peter's voice trailed off when he saw Ned and MJ's worried glances from across the picnic blanket. They were currently hanging out in Central Park, something they did every month to read another book MJ shoved in their face.

"I was asking what you thought about Pride & Prejudice?" MJ said, tapping the cover of her own copy. "Oh! It was good. I liked it." He said diverting his eyes from the two. In all honesty, he wasn't paying attention to the end of the book at all. He was too busy trying to figure out why Tony and Pepper hadn't brought up the showcase yet. He swore he put a reminder everywhere in the house. It would've been impossible to miss.

Ned just shrugged his shoulders and tucked the book back into his backpack, "I thought it was alright. Not as good as Harry Potter."

"I've told you a million times, Harry Potter is _not_ classic literature." MJ said with a playful smack to Ned's arm. "Should we start packing up? It might snow soon."

Peter nodded, putting his things into his backpack as well, "I think I can get some hot cocoa before I have to go home." Peter helped Ned fold the blanket before shoving it into MJ's bag, "Awesome! You haven't been out much lately. Are you doing okay?"

Peter just nodded, a small smile on his face, "I'm okay. Just stressed for the showing tomorrow." MJ groaned, "I almost forgot about that. I hate public speaking."

Ned shivered with a grimace on his face, "Me too. Especially since Flash is two spots down from me. I know he's going to say something about my project." The trio started walking towards one of the gates in the park where a hot chocolate stand was.

Peter lagged behind Ned and MJ, the two conversing about how horrible Flash was. Usually he would be in on the conversation, but he wasn't feeling too good today. It was cold and the sky was a dark grey, a clear omen to Peter that something bad might happen today.

Pepper was picking him up today since she had business in the city already; something that Peter knew was just a convenient coincidence. The couple never picked him up from events because it was their responsibility, they would always make Happy do it for them. Peter just pretended that he had a real mom who was picking him up from a day out with his friends. It at least made him feel some temporary happiness.

The three of them got their hot chocolate and stood near the entrance of Central Park, sipping their drinks contently. "Who's picking you up, Peter?" Ned said casually, blowing on his hot chocolate before he burned his tongue. "Uh, Pepper, I think? She said she was already in the city."

Peter rocked back and forth on his heels, one hand in the pocket of his coat and the other hand holding his own cup. "At least it's not Happy this time. I swear, you see him more than you see your parents." MJ mumbled under her breath.

Peter didn't say anything, opting to watch as the snow started to fall. He knew it was true; he never saw Pepper and Tony anymore. He was always alone in his room, crying more often than he didn't. He was lucky that he wasn't having nightmares anymore, he would reach his breaking point faster than he would like to admit.

Ned's mom pulled up to the curb at the same time MJ's mom did, making Peter feel super self conscious. He hated when this happened. "I'm gonna wait till Pepper gets here. It's super cold and it's dangerous around here." MJ said to Peter, making Ned smirk a little to himself. Little did she know that Peter was more than capable of defending himself.

"It's okay! She'll be here any minute and I know how your ears get in the cold." Peter chuckled, causing MJ to subconsciously touch her ears. "Are you sure? I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone out here."

"I'm sure, MJ. I'll text you guys when she gets here." Peter said, his two friends shooting each other a dubious glance. They eventually got into their respective cars, waving goodbye. MJ made sure to tap her phone through the window, indicating that she would have it on her at all times.

Peter shot her a thumbs up, watching as they disappeared into the New York traffic. He let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding in, shivering more violently now that his friends were gone.

He didn't know how much longer he could fake being happy. It was getting tiring and Peter was positive that they knew something was wrong. His lips wobbled as he tried not to cry again, opting to pull his scarf over his mouth.

A few tears rolled down his cheeks, leaving a cold trail from the bitter, cold air. Peter wanted to go home. His home in Queens. He should've asked to have a sleepover with Ned, but he had school tomorrow and his mom probably wouldn't have let that happen. He would've at least still been in his home city.

Peter watched as people and tourists went in and out of Central Park, drinking in their laughter and smiles. He wanted to be like that again. He wanted to laugh with Ned and MJ (and god forbid Tony) while enjoying something new. It seemed so far out of his reach now.

A few minutes later and Pepper finally pulled up to the curb, Peter hastily making his way over to the passenger seat. Poor Peter—today was not his day.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw two teenagers hurling towards him while they were goofing off. Unfortunately, the kid ran into him, knocking his hot chocolate out of his hand. Peter watched as the contents splattered on the frozen ground, basically unfazed.

He knew life hated him at this point, what was new. "Oh shit! My bad." The teen said, laughing with his friend before goofing off again down the sidewalk. Peter just sighed, picking up the cup and throwing it in a nearby trash can. He really hated people sometimes.

When he got into the car, he saw Pepper furiously typing on her phone, eyebrows knit in frustration. "Hi, Ms. Potts." Peter said softly as he buckled in his seatbelt. "It's Mrs. Stark now, Peter. And I've told you that you can just call me Pepper." She replied without looking up from her screen.

"R-Right. Sorry..." There was no conversing afterwards. Pepper never asked about his day or what he did, tending to work calls the whole way home. Peter just leaned his head against the window, contemplating whether or not he should just jump out of the car and run away.

He would rather be anywhere but _here_. Where the people who he loved the most didn't even feel the same way back. He just wanted them to love him.

Peter turned away further in his seat to hide his face behind his scarf. He was starting to cry again and he would rather Pepper not see that. It was bad enough that he was such a blabbermouth before, they didn't need a crybaby to add to the list.

He stifled his sobs by biting down on the fabric, trying to control his shoulders from shaking too much. Peter didn't want to go back to the lake house, he wanted to go home with May. He didn't want to be alone all up in his room with just his thoughts to keep im company. He was scared of his thoughts. Of _himself_.

There was no telling on what he might do when he reaches that breaking point, and Peter didn't want to find out. He watched as the big city lights turned to trees and freshwater lakes, wishing that they weren't going home. It didn't feel like home at all, at least not anymore.

When they arrived at the house, Peter bolted out of the car and ran straight for his room, noticing Tony and Morgan napping on the couch together. His heart clenched as he ran up the stairs.

He wished he was the one cuddled up with Tony. He wanted that kind of love, the kind where he didn't have to ask for it or wish on a star. He wanted the love that came naturally and straight from the heart. It was clear to Peter that no one in this house had loved him at all and it hurt to admit that.

Peter collapsed on his bed and cried into his pillow, body wracking in sobs. "I want my Aunt May!" He screamed, nails scratching at his pillowcase and ripping it to shreds. He stayed like that for hours, face down on his bed while he tried not to think about how much the Stark family hated him.

Snow began to fall, the sun disappeared, and the stars came out. Peter didn't move.

It was only when he heard Morgan's footsteps outside his door that he reluctantly sat up. "Peter! Mommy said dinner is ready." He didn't answer her, shuffling over to his door and pulling it open. Morgan looked up at him with her big brown eyes before running down the hall.

Peter sighed, gripping his hair to mentally prepare himself to go downstairs. He didn't want to be sitting in a lie. In a fake family with fake love and false hopes. Everything was a huge lie with the Starks and he didn't know how much more he could take.

His heart raced as he made his way downstairs, anxiety coursing through his veins. If he didn't speak, he wouldn't be ignored so he had a way out of that one. If he looked down at his plate the whole time, he wouldn't have to see Morgan staring at him 24/7 so there was another. If he sat a seat away from everyone, then it wouldn't give him false hope of a family so far out of his reach.

His solutions gave him a little more comfort as he approached the dinner table, taking the seat furthest away from the family. Tony gave him a strange look before Peter panicked and looked at the table. "Why are you sitting all the way over there, Pete? Are you not hungry?"

Peter shut his eyes and nervously fiddled with the hem of his sweatshirt, "N-No, I'm not." _Yes he was_. But it was the perfect way out of not sitting near the Stark family. If they weren't so close to him, it would make him feel better about leaving. He didn't want to get too attached and get lost in a lie.

"Alright. Stay after we finish, though. Movie night." He said with a smile, Peter grimacing and shrinking back in his chair. A movie night was the last thing he needed on his plate...but it didn't sound so bad? This was the first time that they had done something together out of Tony's own will. Maybe he was trying to make an effort to include Peter more.

Maybe this was his chance to set things back on track. If he could show them how much fun he was, then they would want him in their family! A million thoughts were running through Peter's head. Maybe Tony would finally want to do lab days again and have afternoon naps with him too!

Peter bit his lip to stop himself from smiling. The universe finally took pity on him and gave him a chance.

He watched as the family ate dinner, Tony and Pepper talking about work and what she had done today. What had surprised Peter the most is when Tony _looked_ at him. "How was your day, kiddo? How are Fred and Michael?"

Peter laughed a little before clamping his hand over his mouth. _Don't_. He wasn't out of the woods yet; he could still be caught in a lie. Peter momentarily forgot that these were the same people who had been ignoring him for months on end after he _died_ and lost his Aunt May. He needed to tread carefully. Impress them enough to prove he was worthy to be in their family, but don't fall so easily. _For the love of God please don't get attached._

" _Ned_ and _Michelle_ , Mr. Stark." Peter smiled, looking up from the table with (unfortunately) new found hope. "They're good. And we had a lot of fun, we finished Pride & Pre—"

"Can we watch the movie now?" Morgan whined from across the table. The smile from Peter's face fell as he looked back down at the table. _This_ is exactly why he hated hope. It was always shot down and no one ever gave Peter a chance to speaks.

"Morgan, that wasn't nice. Pete was talking." Tony said with a click of his tongue, standing up to gather everyone's plates. "I'm still listening, Bambino." Peter smiled again, resuming his explanation of what him and his friends did that day. He left out the part of the stupid kids running into him and dropping his hot chocolate. He didn't need to know that.

Tony washed the dishes while everyone else migrated to the living room, Pepper pausing to put a throw over Morgan. "I'm going to head to sleep. Tomorrow's a big day so I would suggest that you guys shouldn't stay up too late." She said, kissing her daughter in the head and heading to her bedroom.

Peter watched her leave, a little disappointed that she blatantly disregarded him. It didn't matter too much, it was one less person to prove himself too. If he could make Tony remember how much fun he was to be around, it was enough for him. Peter wrapped his arms around his legs, waiting for the older man to come back when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

It was Morgan. "Peter, do you want to play a game?" Peter blinked, slowly letting go of his legs, "Uh, sure? What game?" Morgan grinned and unwrapped herself from the blanket to turn towards Peter more. He couldn't help but feel a bit better, Morgan was starting to warm up to him. "My friend showed me something called arm wrestle."

Peter immediately started to panic. If he played arm wrestle with her, then he could accidentally hurt her if he used his powers. There was no telling what could happen. "I'm not sure we should play that. How about a mind game? My friend Ned and I loved those—"

"No! That's boring! I'm good at arm wrestle." Morgan humphed, sitting back into the couch with a look of fury. "O-Oh, okay...let's play arm wrestle then." Peter really didn't want to, he just had to make sure that he literally used none of his strength. The last thing he needed was Morgan with a broken wrist. But if he got Morgan to like him, then no doubt in his mind that Tony and Pepper would like him too.

The two kids got positioned on the coffee table, Peter making sure he was extra careful with her tiny hand. "Okay, 1...2...3...Go!" Morgan squealed in glee, successfully pulling Peter's arm down with ease.

"You weren't even trying! Let's do it again!" Peter's eyes shifted nervously from the kitchen back to him and Morgan's intertwined hands. If he hurt her, Tony was going to be really upset. He only had one _chance_. Peter sat up straight, determined to make Morgan like him.

"Okay. Just one more." They got into a ready position again, Peter nearly missing a glint in Morgan's eyes. His Spidey-senses immediately flared up, causing his arm to be riddled with goosebumps. What was going on? Who was going to attack him?

"1...2...3...Go!" Peter grasped her hand a little tighter just to alude her into thinking that he was trying. He was still a little confused as to why his Spidey-senses were still ting—

"Ow!" He yelped as a felt a sharp object tear into the thin and sensitive skin of his ankle, looking up to see Morgan kick something under the couch. Unfortunately, in the midst of his panic, he squeezed her hand a little too hard, causing Morgan to scream bloody murder.

Peter immediately let go and scooted back. He fucked up. He fucked up. He fucked up. _He fucked up_. He had one chance and he blew it. Tony was going to be so angry with him. He felt his chest constrict as he fought for air. No no no, not now. _Not now._

He breathing sped up as he clutched his hair. Morgan was screaming and crying, tears running down her face. He had to help her. "M-Mo? I'm sorry, w-where does it hurt?" Peter tried to grab her hand, but she pulled it back and screamed louder. At this point, both Peter and Morgan were hysterically crying.

Peter didn't want Tony to hate him. At that moment, Peter's worst fear came true. His heart dropped to his stomach when Tony entered the room, eyes worried with fear before landing on Peter. "What happened?! What's going on?!"

Pepper came running in as well, clad in her pajamas with toothpaste all over her face. Peter couldn't breathe. They were going to know that he hurt Morgan. It was all an accident though, they would understand. Right?

Morgan sat on the floor, clutching her hand and crying while Peter struggled to breathe. His hand was covering his bloody ankle while he hunched over to try and calm himself down. _This couldn't be happening._ Morgan cried, "P-Peter hurt me! He hurt my h-hand when we were p-playing a game!" She sobbed, Tony picking her up to examine her hand.

"Fuck." Tony cursed under his breath before turning to Peter, "She's _5,_ Peter. You _need_ to be more careful! What have I told you about using your powers out of battle?!" Pepper came rushing to Tony's side, rubbing her hand against his back to try and calm him down.

Peter felt so _small_. He was on the floor, the Stark family looming over him with disappointment in their eyes. Peter blinked away tears, "I-It was an accident, Mr. S-Stark, I w-would _never_ —"

"But you did, and now Morgan is hurt because of it. She's a toddler, for fuck's sake Peter, what were you thinking?"

Peter sobbed, clutching his bloody ankle a bit more tight now as tears streamed down his face, "She wanted to p-play and I just wanted her to l-like me so I—"

"So you used your powers to hurt her? That makes a whole lot of sense, kid."

"No! _No!_ M-My spidey-senses went off and then I felt something sharp hit my ankle s-so I squeezed by accident—"

Tony leaned his head back in annoyance and exasperation, "Stop, Peter. _Just stop._ "

Peter stopped breathing and stared at the three. Morgan was still crying in Tony's arms while Pepper looked at her daughter with concern. This was it. They officially hated him.

He had once again fucked up his only chance of proving himself. "No, p-please, Mr. Stark—" Peter sobbed, "It was an accident."

"I'm not going to risk _my_ daughter's safety on an _accident_."

Pepper gasped, slapping Tony on the shoulder, "Stop it. Things just got a little out of hand here, Morgan is _fine_. How about we all just—"

A small voice coming from the floor absolutely shattered the two adult's heart. It was a heartbreaking whine—a _plead_ —that even made Tony regret his word choice just a few seconds ago. Peter was on the ground, sobbing with the most defeated expression on his face.

" _I-I'm sorry...please don’t leave me._ "

Tony and Pepper were stunned as Peter got up and ran away up into his bedroom. Tony was about to go follow him when Pepper's hand on his shoulder stopped him, "You've already done enough, Tony. Let him rest for a little bit."

Tony sighed, looking back up the stairs, "Yeah...okay..."

The next day was pure shit for Peter. He spent the whole night in his closet sobbing while he waited for Tony to come and apologize, but he never did. It made himself feel a little better knowing that they would at least be there for his science project showing in the evening.

Peter blearily watched as his teacher wrote down notes on the board, eyes struggling to be kept open. God, he was so tired. He barely got any sleep last night, Tony's angry face just replaying in his mind like a broken record. Not to mention his ankle hurt like hell.

He hadn't said a word to anyone today, Ned and MJ constantly sending him worried glances from beside him. It seemed like MJ had an idea onto what was going on, gently rubbing his back while he stared off into space. Ned held his hand under the table, giving him comforting rubs in his thumb like May used to do. It felt nice.

By the time evening came around, they were helping to set up all the tables displaying their projects in the cafeteria. Peter had (thankfully) finished his project a few days prior and—like other students—kept it in the school's lab until now. He gently set down his robot in his spot, giving it a small pat to the head.

He hoped Tony would be impressed. This was the first time he had ever worked on something so big all by himself. The robot was in the shape of a dog, a little inside joke between the two of them. Tony had often said that Peter reminded him of an excited puppy when they would tinker on suits in the compound and the tower.

It was a constant reminder of what used to be, which made Peter happy enough. Him and Ned changed in the school bathrooms just in time for everything to start. "Are you nervous? What if someone from MIT sees your robot?" Ned said excitedly, standing near his project which was right next to Peter's. "I doubt it." Peter mumbled, not really in the mood to talk.

Ned took the hint, giving him a small smile before turning his attention back onto his project. Scouters, teachers, and parents went around the room asking students what they had worked on. Peter hoped that no one one would go his table, but unfortunately, a few people did.

He lethargically demonstrated his small robot, stuttering a few times and trialing off in the middle of his sentences which definitely marked him down in terms of public speaking. Get it together, Parker. At least he had practice before Tony got here.

Speaking of which; he should already be here. Peter knitted his eyebrows in confusion as he pulled out his phone. He made sure that there were flyers and reminders _everywhere_. There was no way both Tony and Pepper didn’t see anything.

Peter waited and waited until he saw the sun set and completely disappear behind the horizon. Parents were starting to shake hands with teachers and scouters, guiding their kids out to go back home. Peter watched as fathers proudly wrapped their arms around their children and mothers excitedly talking with a smile on their face.

Ned and MJ had already left, a sympathetic look on their face. They couldn’t do much for him anyways; he really didn’t want to talk. MJ made sure to leave him a message to video chat later.

He was pulled out of his trance from a voice next to him, “Ayo, Penis Parker! Did no one show up for you?” Peter tightly gripped his sweater and turned away. If he ignored Flash, then he would leave him alone. It was common knowledge with bullies.

“Hey, don’t ignore me, loser.” Flash sneered, coming closer to the boy. Peter panicked and immediately looked to the floor. God, where were the teachers when you needed them? And where was Tony?

“Where’s your Aunt? Working hard for that little shack you live in over in Queens?” He said, smirking to himself while Peter kept his head down. Why did he have to bring up May? Out of all the times to do that, he chose _now_?

“Stop it, Flash. I don’t have time for this.” Peter mumbled, pushing the boy out of his way to head to the door. If Tony wasn’t coming then he could just wait outside. A hard yank from the back of his sweater almost made him gag at the pure force of it, “Stop trying to be the better person, Penis. You’re not all that; with your stupid dog robot. No wonder I heard the teachers gossiping about you.”

The boy’s face fell, finally looking up his bully, “W-What?” Flash’s eyes widened before a huge grin split across his face, “Yeah, they said how they were expecting more from you. What’s a stupid iDog going to do for the world, huh?”

He grabbed the robot off the table and carelessly tossed it in the air, “I mean...I honestly expected better as well. Considering you knew Tony Stark and all.” Flash said before tossing it back and forth between his hands. Peter was seeing red, making small attempts to grab it back. “Put it down! You’re going to break it!”

Flash out his arm up out of Peter’s reach and kicked his ankle, causing him to yelp in pain and back away. He took the chance to toss it back at the boy. “If you say so.”

Peter barely had any time to register what he said before he saw his small robot crash to the ground in a million pieces. He worked on that project for _months_. Peter was so excited to show it to Tony and finally say he did something all by himself, but now it was all ruined. His hard work and hope. Gone.

Peter stared at it in disbelief, his breathing turning more rapid than it had ever felt before. His gripped his heart and closed his eyes while he tried to picture his apartment with May. That always calmed him down.

Flash saw how bad Peter was panicking, eyes widening in fear for a split second. Who knew that Flash was capable of regret. He knelt down and tried to desperately pick up the pieces, “Shit, I’m sorry. I took it too far.” When he looked up to see Peter red in the face, he immediately grabbed his shoulders, “Oi, Penis! Are you alright?”

Peter didn’t answer, shivering like his life depending on it while tears rolled down his cheeks. Flash grimaced, “O-Okay, hold on. I’m going to get a teacher.”

Flash immediately ran to the nearest staff, explaining the situation with hurried breaths. When the two of them arrived back at the spot, all that was left was the broken pieces of Peter’s project.

Peter was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! i’m so sorry this took so long to come out, i’m super overwhelmed with how much work i have to get done. this chapter was originally supposed to be around 10,000 words, but i had to cut it down for some balance. we’ll get to see everyone’s favorite part next chapter which should come out in about or a week (or less depending on how much work i can get done). i haven’t been in the best zone mentally, so me and peter are really going through it right now. i struggled writing the last part of this chapter because i just wanted to get it out there as soon as possible; i’m going to go back and revise in the morning.
> 
> i really really hope you enjoy and comments would definitely make me much more happier right now. just not feeling too good :(


	4. part four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: description of blood (minor)

Tony made a lot of mistakes and he was usually good at realizing when he made one. When it came to Peter; not so much. He bristled in annoyance while waiting in the emergency room of the hospital, still not over how completely irresponsible the boy had been. In the midst of his anger that evening, he sent Peter a pretty harsh text message. He had explicitly told him countless of times to be careful with his powers, especially around Morgan.

She was sitting next to him, cradling her hand while swinging her legs back and forth on the chair. Tony wasn’t going to lie to himself, he definitely overreacted—something Morgan apparently inherited from him. He knew the moment he made a mistake when he saw _fear_ in Peter’s eyes. Even when he had threatened to take away the boy’s suit years ago, he never saw Peter be afraid of him. It was like he had somehow broken the kid’s trust. He just needed to figure out how.

“Morgan?” The doctor said from the door with a kind smile. Tony lifted up Morgan into his arms and followed the woman to their own little room. “What seems to be the problem here?” The doctor said, sitting down with a concerned expression on her face.

Morgan stiffened at that question, causing Tony to sit her down on the medical bed. When she didn’t want to speak, he cleared his throat, “She was playing arm wrestle last night with her—” Tony paused, trying to figure out how to explain Peter’s situation, “—brother...and apparently he squeezed too hard on her hand. I’m just worried it might be sprained or something. I wasn’t in the room when it happened so I can’t really get a good look on how bad her injuries are.”

He gently caressed her hair while she looked at the floor, the doctor nodding, “Let me see her mobility first. If it’s bad, then we can do an x-ray.”

“Be my guest.” Tony stepped away from Morgan and the let the doctor do what she needed to do. With every twist, turn, and pressure applied, she cried and screamed, causing Tony to wince from the sound. The doctor sighed and pulled away, “We’ll do some scans. There’s no way for me to figure out how bad it is from her reactions.”

The doctor the left, leaving only Tony and his sniffling daughter. “Mongoose, I really need you to be brave and let the doctor see what’s going on. She’s here to help you and Daddy’s here to keep you safe. If you let her see, then you can feel better sooner.” Tony said gently, grabbing her good hand and rubbing comforting circles into her skin.

Morgan shook her head violently, bursting into more tears, “No! I don’t want to do an x-ray!” Tony gave her a comforting smile, “You won’t feel a thing, I promise. It’ll be so quick that we’ll have the results in no time. If the doctor doesn’t know what’s going on, then she can’t help you feel better.”

Her lips wobbled, “But I already feel better.”

“You can’t try and get out of this now, Mongoose. I swear you won’t feel anything, you just have to stand in the room.”

She squeezed his hand and hid her face in his shoulder, surprising Tony with her sudden shyness. He could tell immediately that this was about something else. “Peter didn’t hurt me! I lied so I could make him get in trouble then he would leave us alone!” She sobbed, tightening her hold on her father. All the blood drained from Tony’s face as he separated himself from her, “Morgan, are you telling the truth?” He couldn’t feel his heartbeat speeding up. No wonder Peter looked so distraught last night, he _literally_ didn’t do anything and he had no idea. He must’ve been so confused.

“I’m sorry! I don’t want to get in trouble!” Morgan cried, starting to hyperventilate and hiccup as she tried to calm herself down. Tony closed his eyes in exasperation and lifted her up into his arms. He wasn’t about to reprimand her in a goddamn hospital room, but he was about to give her a severe talking to when they got home.

“Stop crying, Morgan. You’re fine for now, but I’m extremely disappointed in you. You really hurt Peter’s feelings.” He clicked his tongue as he exited the room, hurriedly looking around for the doctor. He spotted her talking to a nurse and he made his way over there, in a hurry to get back in the car to apologize to Peter. Tony had said so much shit in that text message and the poor boy hadn’t even done anything.

“I’m sorry, it turns out she was being overdramatic. I’m in a really huge hurry, so I need to get going.” He didn’t care if he looked like a huge asshole right now, he was just concerned for when Peter saw that text message. He was probably at home right now, locked in his room like usual, wondering why he was getting cussed out for something he didn’t do. Tony wished that he wasn’t so narrow minded sometimes and just evaluated the situation when it occurred.

Maybe Peter got hurt. He was holding his ankle the entire time and he wouldn’t put it past to boy to protect Morgan, even when the girl was in the wrong. He was started to realize how much shit they had put him through for the last couple of days.

He rushed out of the ER and buckled Morgan into her car seat, guilt coursing through his veins. Morgan was pretty on edge, he was sure that she could felt how upset he was even from the backseat. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I just wanted Peter to go home.”

He took a deep breath and reversed the car to drive back home. The sun was setting so he was positive that Peter was already in his room, crying his eyes out from what he had said earlier. What was even more heartbreaking is that Morgan didn’t realize that Peter wasn’t staying for some kind of vacation, he was part of the family just like she was.

“Morgan. This _is_ Peter’s home, he doesn’t have anywhere else to go. He had a Mommy and Daddy too, but they passed away a long time ago. Then he had an Aunt and an Uncle who passed away. I’m the only person he has left. Imagine what it would feel like if Mommy and Daddy were gone, then you had to stay with Uncle Happy and then he went away too. You probably wouldn’t feel good, would you?”

He looked in the rearview mirror to see her shaking her head, crying once again. “B-But, you never talk to him! You don’t like him either so it would be better if he went away.”

Looking back at everything, she was right. He hasn’t been talking to Peter, he hadn’t been hanging out with him, or making an effort at all. Tony recalled the night he found Peter curled up in the hallway, distraught over the picture that Morgan had drew.

Morgan had known exactly what she was doing; she wasn’t drawing Peter from when he was snapped away...she wanted Peter to turn to ash again.

“Fuck.” He cursed under his breath, pressing the gas pedal a little harder. He needed to get home _now_. He had to apologize if it was the last thing he did on this Earth.

Tony thanked himself for moving to a virtually remote area, allowing himself to speed with a toddler in the back with a low chance of getting into an accident. He couldn’t believe this whole time that Peter was suffering.

It all made sense. He stopped talking, stopped asking to be included in things, he was constantly in his room, his face had turned three shades paler, and he barely ate anymore. Usually they would have to serve Peter seconds, taking into account his fast metabolism. He has been only eating one small plate, hurrying as quickly as possible to go into his room.

His poor Peter. Tony was struggling with himself, trying to hold in tears for his baby that were threatening to come out. Peter had gone through hell and back, and this was how he was treated from the only family he had left? If he could punch himself a million times, he would. Even then, it wouldn’t make up for the amount of anguish Peter had been feeling for God knows how long.

Tony finally made it back to the house, hurriedly unbuckling Morgan and rushing up onto the porch steps. “Friday, let me in.”

The front door swung open, allowing Tony to put Morgan down in the living room before rushing up the stairs. Thankfully Pepper wasn’t home from work yet; he would have a lot of explaining to do. “Peter? Baby, it’s me, Tony. Can I come in?” He said, panic laced in his voice.

If his text had been his breaking point, he was extremely nervous to find out what was on the other side of that door. No, he shouldn’t think like that. Peter was fine, he was probably taking a long afternoon nap.

He knocked harshly, “Peter? I’m coming in.”

The door swung open, revealing an extremely dark room that was unusually clean. Peter was known to have books and Legos laying around everywhere, he used to do it all the time at his room in the Tower. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, where is he?!” Tony looked under his covers, in the bathroom, and around the house, but Peter was _gone_.

He should be home by now. When he came back inside from looking around the lake, he saw Morgan nervously holding something behind her back, “Daddy? I have something else to tell you...”

God, he couldn’t take much more than this. She shoved a ball of paper into his hand, crying as she searched her father’s eyes. She saw unexplainable sadness and confusion, something she had never seen on her father’s face before. Tony was happy, tired, and loving. This was all completely different for Morgan, causing her to feel immense regret as well. She knew she had done some unforgivable.

Tony unraveled the ball, eyes searching for anything that might explain Peter’s whereabouts. He opened it to see a flyer with his school logo on it, information on a showcase that would demonstrate the projects that their students had been working on.

The same project that Peter asked Tony for help on _multiple times_. It was today!

“Morgan! Where did you find this?!” He hardly ever raised his voice, especially to his children, but Peter’s safety was at stake here. “I-It was on the refrigerator! I’m sorry Daddy!” Morgan cried, running up to hug his leg in agony, “I won’t be mean to Peter anymore! I didn’t want him to steal you away from me!”

Tony closed his eyes and squeezed, “You’re in huge trouble when Mommy gets home. Peter _needs_ me to know this information, he was probably expecting us to pick him up and be there, so he’s probably all by himself and out in the cold. It’s not fair, Morgan.”

She continued to scream and cry, even when Tony put her in her room for time out. It was more for himself, he needed a moment to think before anything else. He pulled out his phone, immediately going straight to his contacts.

The flyer said that the showcase ended at 7 PM, he needed to know where Peter was. He repeatedly called the boy, but no one answered, causing him to curse loudly and throw his phone on the coffee table. “Friday, can you track Peter’s phone? Where is he?”

“Peter’s last location was 2 blocks away from Midtown School of Science and Technology. It seems he dropped it in midst on panic, my signs read that his heart rate spiked after accessing it. I’m not sure that this is his exact location at the moment.”

“Goddamn it.” Tony grit his teeth, “What about his suit? Did he take it with him?”

“Peter’s suit is currently here, Boss. There’s an incoming call from Happy Hogan.”

He ran his hand through his hair, unintentionally letting out a few tears. Peter was missing and it was all his fault. He was probably cold, scared, and confused all at the same time. Peter did absolutely nothing wrong and was carrying all the guilt on his shoulders.

“Answer it.”

Not even a second after the call connected, Happy’s voice came yelling in his ear. “Are you actually insane, Stark? What’s going on with Peter? I’ve been running all around Queens, I can’t find him _anywhere_ , and the school’s staff said that you never showed up to his showcase.”

“Don’t you think I’m panicking too?! I’m not sitting here sitting on my ass and sucking on lollipops, my kid is missing and he doesn’t have his fucking phone! I don’t even know where to start looking.”

“Here, how about we start with this. Why weren’t you at his showcase? Before he started acting like a walking zombie, all he ever talked about was how excited he was to work on it with you. He thought that you actually wanted to help him; to be the father that he thought you were. Now imagine how he felt when the only family he had left is ignoring him everyday, not showing up to his events, and virtually is all by himself.”

Tony was angry at this point, gripping the edge of the couch, “Don’t try and guilt trip me. I’m already feeling like shit about everything, I don’t need you to rub in information that I didn’t already know. And how the hell would you know if he’s been ignored?”

“Friday isn’t as loyal as you think, apparently.”

Tony went silent for a second, calming his breathing while trying to wrap his head around this. “Friday’s been updating you.”

“Looks like you’ve still got it, Tony. Biggest revaluation since you came up with time travel!” Happy look a pause as well, Tony hearing his voice waver, “I’m worried for Peter. I’m going to stop arguing for the sake of time, but expect me to rip you a new when when we find the kid.” Happy hung up abruptly, leaving Tony alone with his thoughts.

“Yeah, okay.” Tony breathed, gripping his hair. Peter could be anywhere by now. “U-Uh, Friday? Check surveillance cams in Peter’s last known location. If you find anything, send it Happy’s way since he’s closer. Let him know to check the tower, compound, and May’s old apartment.”

“Got it, Boss.”

“Also, let Pepper know what’s going on. We’re going to need to suit up.”

Tony could heat the smugness in the AI’s voice, causing him to click his tongue in annoyance. “Already done. I would suggest searching Peter’s room, you might find some valuable information.”

Not that he needed Friday to tell him that, he was already on his way back upstairs. Morgan was quiet now, she probably cried herself to sleep while she was bored in time out. Tony made sure to check in on her first before going into Peter’s bedroom.

He didn’t know what Friday was talking about. The bed had been made before he had completely destroyed it in the midst of his panic, his desk was neatly organized, and the floor was spotless.

The only place he didn’t check was the closet. Tony nervously approached the two doors, sliding them open and nearly gasping at the sight. Peter’s clothes were strewn everywhere, positioned to make a makeshift bed with a small throw blanket in the mix. His teddy bear that May gave him was in the middle, but that’s not what caught Tony’s eye.

There were bloody bandages in the corner that looked fresh. Tony knelt down and collected them, “Friday, stop being a little shit and tell me what happened last night.”

The AI hesitated before speaking, “Morgan seemed to have hurt Peter with an unknown object during their game of arm wrestle. My cameras couldn’t pick up what it was, but it’s currently under the living room couch. Peter’s health had been declining, weakening his powers and healing abilities. I would assume he used the bandages to stop the bleeding.”

“And why didn’t you alert me when this happened?” Tony said as he gripped the bandages in his hand. For an AI that he created, she sure wasn’t being helpful in a time like this.

“You only programmed me to alert you of Peter’s distress in the Stark Tower and the Avengers Compound. His safety protocols haven’t been updated since 2018.” Tony collapsed outside of Peter’s closet door in defeat, utterly disgusted at himself with how much he had been neglecting his kid. He didn’t even know _why_ he had been ignoring Peter, which made the whole situation much worse in terms of morality. Peter was such a sweet and kind boy, he didn’t deserve anything that happened to him after the Snap. His eyes shifted to something under Peter’s bed, curiosity getting the best of him.

He knelt down and pulled the object out from under the bed, eyes watering when he saw what exactly it had been. It was a Lego family house—well, the start of it at least. It had Tony, Pepper, Morgan, and Peter all in a line, holding Lego hands. There were small pieces of paper in the middle of the foundation of the house, Tony using a shaky hand to pluck one out of the pile.

It read,

_Things I Love About the Stark House #9_

_Mr. Stark has a bunch of new comfy sweaters I can steal from! He’s going to go crazy when Winter comes around! :)_

He picked out another one from the pile, not missing how the dates were from when he first moved in. God, this was breaking his heart.

_Things I Love About the Stark House #4_

_Mr. Stark helps me with my homework! He’s always patient with me and never gives up._

_Things I Love About the Stark House #1_

_I finally feel like I’m apart of a real family :) Mr. Stark is my dad, Ms. Potts is my mom, and Morgan is my brand new little sister!_

Tony cried, his hand coming up to cover his face as his whole body wracked in sobs. Peter deserved so much better. Through his blurry vision, he could make out a bunch of doodles littering the walls of his closet. They were all of Spider-man and IronMan fighting alongside each other, except one in the middle.

It was a small printed photo of the two of them in the car after the fight in Germany. Peter had wanted to take a picture for his Aunt, resulting in what was currently on Peter’s wall. Seeing how happy he used to be and finally realizing that he hasn’t seen Peter smile in _weeks_ was the breaking point for Tony. He reached up with a shaky hand and stroked the side of Peter’s face in the photo, “My Bambino, where _are_ you?”

He looked down and saw something that he didn’t want to see in the pile of Peter’s makeshift closet bed. It was his old shirt; one that he used to wear quite often before everything went down with Thanos. It was Peter’s favorite to steal back then and it seemed like nothing had changed.

He smiled a little through his sobs, bringing the shirt up to cradle against his chest. How ironic is was, really. Peter spent countless days in the closet in this exact position, crying for Tony to come be at his side.

Now it was Tony crying for his little boy to come _home_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, i know you noticed that this chapter was extremely short. it was about 3k words instead of 4-5k, but the finale chapter will be a big boy 😤 you guys deserve it after all, i wasn’t expecting this much support on this series! also, i made this short because the story is mainly focused on peter’s perspective, but i wanted to give you guys a glimpse into tony’s regret. i’m already working super hard on the finale, i can’t wait for you guys to read it! <333
> 
> p.s. for all of you guys thinking that tony had a reason for ignoring peter, he didn’t. he was just being an asshole :)


	5. part five | finale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *tw: indirect mention of suicide
> 
> i probably have so many spelling errors, but i know how long you guys have been waiting for the final chapter! i’ll go through it in the morning, for now, enjoy <3
> 
> thank you for sticking with me throughout this mini series 💓

Peter ran as fast as he could, the bitter winter air hitting his face like a thousand knives. It didn't matter at all to him, he just needed to get _out_. Though Flash had at least showed some remorse for his hurtful actions, Peter would never be able to forgive him for ruining the last thing he had left to prove himself.

The cold air felt like it was freezing Peter's tears as he continued to run out of the gates of the school. He couldn't do this anymore. All the hope he had for ever having a real family again was repeatedly destroyed. A loud sob erupted out of Peter, causing other pedestrians to give him a strange look.

He didn't care, he just continued running until he couldn't run anymore. Peter's legs eventually gave out about 2 blocks away from the school; damn him and his stupid weak powers. His face was still wet from salty tears as he gasped for air, trying to figure out where he had ended up. Peter swallowed harshly as he took in his surroundings, noticing a small little cafe on the corner in front of him.

He really needed to make sure he avoided security cams, he didn't want Tony finding him for awhile. He would rather wander the streets of his hometown _homeless_ than go back to that godforsaken place.

A buzz erupted in his back pocket, making Peter hastily take out his phone so he could destroy it. It was another thing that Friday could track and that meant one more problem for Peter. Through his blurry eyes, he could make out a text message from Tony. If his heart could shatter any more than it already had, Peter wouldn't know what to do.

_From: Papa Bear :)_

_Just to be clear, you made me extremely disappointed last night. I expected better from you, Peter. If Morgan ends up with a broken wrist, that's all on you. Be fucking careful next time._

His phone clattered to the ground as the boy ran once more. How could Tony say something like that? It was an _accident_. He made sure he was careful; Peter even suppressed his powers while playing with the toddler! It wasn't fair that Tony kept blaming him for something that he couldn't control.

If that _thing_ hadn't sliced open his ankle, then he wouldn't have squeezed so hard by accident. Peter panted as he kept running, thinking about his ankle again. It was a dull pain now, his slow powers gradually scabbing up the injury. Though, Flash's kick to the shin wasn't a very pleasant feeling.

Peter weaved through alleyways and tourist crowds around the bars that were starting to open around this time of night, making sure to scope out any security cameras so Friday couldn't find him.

He wanted to be alone for once, though he doubted that Tony had even noticed he was gone at this point. He didn't even show up to the one thing Peter dreamed of as a child; a school event where he would feel like a normal kid with real parents.

Peter sniffled, reaching up to wipe away his tears as he got further into the city towards Manhattan. He obviously wasn't going to make it too far on foot anymore since his powers had weakened and it was getting colder by the minute.

The boy found a nice trail along the water, sitting down on a secluded park bench while he wrapped his arms around his knees. He could see the huge buildings of Manhattan in the distance across the water, his eyes immediately trailing up towards his old home. He loved those days in the penthouse when he wouldn't worry about a thing.

When he was around Tony, he truly felt happy. He loved being around the man and would count the days until he could see him again. He missed their lab days, movie nights, and waking up in the morning to see Tony try and cook him breakfast. Peter wiped his nose with his sleeve as hot tears continued to fall.

He wanted his old life back.

Peter began sobbing again, letting everything out into the open air. He didn't care if some random homeless man heard him crying his eyes out, he was so _done_ with holding everything in.

He cried and whined, burying his face between his knees to at least try and muffle his noises. He wanted to _go home_. Peter wanted the old Tony to wrap him up in a warm hug while they watched Star Wars for the billionth time. He wanted to show him how to build a pillow fort or complete his Lego house with everyone.

He wanted Pepper and Morgan to like him. And most of all, he wanted the Starks to _love him._

Peter sank to the dirty concrete in a fit on utter exhaustion and screamed, "How much more do I have to take?! I-I _can't keep living like this._ What do I have to do to make them love me?! I'll do anything, God please, I'll do anything..." Peter wailed, sucking in harsh breaths as he continued to cry.

He laid on the dirty, cold ground as he continued crying, eventually turning on his back to look up at the sky. The city lights blinded any stars that were up there, but Peter let out a wobbly smile anyway. "May? I miss you so much...I-I wish you would come back. I wish you would hold me again and tell me everything was going to be alright, even though it might be a lie. I don't even have _hope_ anymore, May. Give me a sign? Please? _I need someone."_

Peter's blurry eyes eagerly searched the black sky, but nothing came up. " _May_?"

It was empty silence, haunting Peter over and over again. He once again felt ignored, shoulders sagging in defeat as he closed his eyes and let out a bitter laugh, "I wish I was with you and Ben."

His breathing evened out and he stopped crying, letting his dry and tired eyes take over. Peter's body eventually caught up with him as well, his ankle throbbing with a generous about of body heat.

This was nice. He could finally rest.

_The scene looked familiar—a grey sky with heavy raindrops pouring down on his umbrella as he walked home from school. Peter remembered this, though he couldn't tell if he was in a dream or not. Maybe everything prior had just been a huge horrible dream._

_There was never any battle with Thanos and they had never gone 5 years into the future. Tony was still the same, waiting for him the Tower's penthouse. Peter never died and neither did May._

_Peter immediately began running again, his feet slapping against the wet asphalt as he hurried to run home. He was home. This is where he wanted to be! He asked for a sign and he got one!_

_What a horrible dream he had earlier. It felt so raw, intense, and real. Peter shook his head and tightened his grip on his umbrella. He was almost home and he would be able to see May again._

_When Peter ran up the stairs of his apartment complex, his heart was racing a mile a minute. He would actually get to go back to his life again. Everything felt so familiar and nostalgic as he fished for his keys in his backpack, slowly turning the key with excitement._

_He remembered this day. May would be right behind that door in the kitchen as she was preparing dinner. She would burn it and they would end up getting takeout instead._

_Peter gulped and slowly opened the door, peering inside before he saw her. It was May._

_His throat constricted as he tried to hold in tears, but ending up failing and letting out a huge sob. He dropped his backpack in the entryway and ran over to his Aunt, burying his face in the crook of her neck. "May! I missed you so much!" He cried, his sobs shaking his whole body._

_It was short lived when he felt a sharp pain, then a shove to his arm. Next thing he knew, he was gripping the kitchen counter and staring at a very terrified May._

_"May? W-What's wrong?" Peter asked, bewilderment etched onto his face. May's eyebrows furrowed before hesitantly reaching behind her to grab the kitchen knife, "I don't know who you are and how the hell you even got in here, but you better get out before I call the police on your ass." She growled with menace, tightening her grip on the handle._

_"W-What? No, it's me, Peter! I'm your nephew, remember?" Peter pleaded, taking a step closer, causing May to flinch. He gasped and stepped back again, never wanting to be the reason behind that expression on her face._

_"O-Okay...uhm, you were married to my Uncle Ben? You raised me after my parents passed away. You were the ones to witness my first steps and my first words! A-And you love Thai food but you're horrible at cooking it. You freaked out when you found out that I was Spider-Man. Don't you remember?" No no no, this wasn't how this was supposed to go. Peter was supposed to go home, safe and sound._

_"I said I don't know who you are. Now leave before I call the goddamn cops!" May screamed, tears running down her face as well. Peter backed away, "May? Why don't you remember?! Don't you love me?! I'm your family, your nephew!"_

_"I don't know how someone is capable of loving another person when they don't even know who they are. I'm not going to warn you again."_

_Peter gulped, hurriedly running out of the apartment like he life depended on it. What was going on? Why didn't she remember him?_

_He ran down the stairs and past security, but the cheap metal detector went off as soon as he was about to exit the door. The security guard looked at him like he was the most bizarre thing he had ever seen, "Kid, are you okay?"_

_Peter blinked, tilting his head in confusion at the other man, "I'm f-fine, why wouldn't I be?"_

_"You look really cold, and you're not waking up." The guard frowned, pointing at Peter's lips, "Your lips are blue. How long have you been out here?"_

_"What? I'm already awake, how else would I be talking to you?" Peter said with a nervous laugh. He couldn't leave this place, he just got May back, even though she didn't remember who he was. It was at least comforting knowing that she was alive and healthy, back in their little apartment in Queens._

_"You're not awake, I've been trying to wake you up for about a minute now. You're getting really cold, I might have to call an ambulance soon."_

_"You're crazy." Peter mumbled, walking away from the guard, but felt a hand come out and snatch his wrist._

_"If you don't wake up now, kid, you're going to be caught in another lie. You'll be stuck here forever, with people who you love, but who don't love you back. They never will, you don't exist here. You don't belong here." The guard showed a sympathetic smile and grasped Peter's hand, "You can do it kid, wake up now."_

_Peter took a nervous breath and squeezed the guard's hand, "Will you be there when I wake up? It's weird because I feel like you look familiar."_

_"I'll be there when you wake up. The name is Harold."_

_Peter smiled, his heart slowly filling up with hope again, "I'm Peter."_

_Harold smiled, "I know. But you gotta wake up for me, kid. I wouldn't want you to get stuck here."_

_Peter nodded, closing his eyes and trying to get back to his senses. This was really a dream after all. Another horrible, nasty dream that took a different form than his other usual ones._

_"Wake up, kid. C'mon."_

"C'mon, wake up. Kid, don't mess with me right now." A trembling voice filled Peter's ears, causing them to ring as he finally opened his eyes. It was _bright_.

It was way too bright, brighter than last night. And it was really really cold. Peter's fingers twitched and he felt something wet and soft. Hm, it felt like snow.

Peter blearily looked to the voice who appeared beside him, only seeing a blurry figure. "Peter?! Oh, thank god." The figure pushed him up, but his vision was so badly impaired that he had no clue what was going on. His ears were ringing and his limbs were numb, causing his headache to be more intense.

"Hey, kid, I'm going to need you to stay with me. I'm going to get you on a warm helicopter and we're going to take you to the hospital. You're going to be okay, Peter, I'm here now."

But _who_ was here? Peter so badly wanted to know who the voice was. It seemed so familiar yet he couldn't pinpoint exactly where he knew it from. Peter blinked slowly, hoping that his vision would become clearer so he could see the mystery man.

Unfortunately, it didn't work, even as he was being flown over to the hospital in a helicopter. There were other people constantly touching him and warbling nonsense, putting things on him, in him, and around him as he tried to come out of his confusion.

They would ask him questions that he wasn't fit to answer—instead, turning to the voice that was speaking earlier. Peter felt weak and tired, he just wanted to go back to sleep.

But the man, Harold, told him that he had to wake up. The boy moaned, moving his head around to try and get someone's attention. "W'as hap'nin?"

The figure from earlier got closer, a warm hand coming up to his forehead to stroke his curls. This was familiar; he remembered something similar when he was asleep before. He was on his way to school that morning, and the night before he had found Morgan's picture on the wall. Peter remembered the honeybun for breakfast and Happy taking him to school.

It was Happy.

"We found you laying in the snow, kid. We're taking you to a hospital so you can get nice and warm. Tony is waiting for you; he's been worried all night." The figure spoke in a soft voice, continuing to stroke his hair.

Peter realized something in that moment. He had _truly_ been caught in a lie before. This whole time Peter thought he was alone—that no one had loved him enough to care. He was horribly wrong.

Happy had been there, making sure he ate breakfast and was included in conversations. Asking about his science project and how his day was at school. He was the one that found Peter in the park this morning. Tony hadn't done any of that.

"H-Happy?" Peter mumbled, blindly reaching up to hold the man's hand even though he couldn't see him clearly. The hand squeezed back, nice and warm compared to Peter's frozen fingers. "I'm here, kid. You're going to be okay."

Peter let out a shaky breath, closing his eyes and focusing on the warmth coming from his hand the blanket on top of him. He was going to be okay, Happy was here. He was _always_ here.

The next few moments were blurry. He knew he had landed at the hospital, but now he didn't have a clue what was going on. The nurses bustled around him, talking to each other about a hypothermia case and covering him with heated blankets. They connected him to an IV, the liquid warm as it ran through his arm.

Then the next thing he knew, someone was shouting outside of his room. He couldn't make out what was being said, but he knew the voice. It was Tony.

Peter's eyebrows furrowed the sound of the man's voice. Why was he here? He had never cared about Peter before, so why was he making such a big deal about it now? The door opened, causing Peter to look over with his limited vision.

He let out a relieved sigh when he saw that it wasn't Tony. It looked to be a doctor followed by another nurse that wasn't the one currently by his side. "Hi, buddy. Peter, right? Are you feeling a little warmer now?" The doctor asked, squeezing his fingers lightly to encourage blood flow. Peter just nodded, blinking confusingly up at the man.

"I can't see."

He saw the doctor's figure pull something out of his pocket and shine a bright light into Peter's eye, "It's a common side effect of hypothermia. It's not permanent, we just need to get your blood going." The nurse came up by his side when the doctor stepped back, moving the hospital bed up so he could be in a sitting position.

"The nurse is going to give you some warm tea so you can heat up faster, is that okay with you?" Peter once again nodded, and parted his lips while the nurse gently held the cup to his mouth. It was apple tea, one of his favorites.

When he was done, they lowered the bed back down so he could lay and turned on a heater inside of the mattress. Peter was already starting to feel so much better, patterns dancing across his vision until it eventually became clear again.

He blinked rapidly as he took in his surroundings, noticing he was in a private room in a very nice hospital in Manhattan. This must've been Tony's work.

"Are you up to seeing visitors? Your dad and uncle would like to see you." The doctor said with a kind smile, but Peter grimaced. Yes, he would like to see Happy, but did he really want to see the man that caused all this in the first place? Not really. But, the soft spot in Peter's heart told him that Tony was obviously worried, and the least he could do was let the man see him.

"Yeah." He gulped as he watched the doctor motion them in, Tony running in first. The nurses and doctor shuffled out to give the two privacy. Upon seeing Peter, his whole face erupted in immense relief, pulling the boy into his arms carefully, "Peter, oh my gosh. You have no idea how terrified I was, I thought I lost you..." Tony's voice cracked as he cradled Peter's head to his chest, "I didn't mean anything in that stupid text, I was frustrated and I know that isn't an excuse, but I just wanted you to know that I love you so much and—"

Peter pried himself out of Tony's arms and turned the opposite direction, looking outside towards the window where the snow was falling. "Bambino, what's wrong? Are you still hurt?" He heard the pain and regret in the older man's voice, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Not after everything he had put him through. It took Peter to nearly die _for good_ until the man cared.

"Why?" Is all Peter said, his face an emotionless mask, but Tony caught on quick. Why had he been ignoring Peter? Why did he choose now to open his eyes and see how much he was destroying the boy? Why hadn't he been the only thing that Peter needed? A moment of silence washed over the room, Peter already knowing the answer. His heart clenched as he heard Tony whisper the words with pure and intense remorse, _"I don't know..."_

The boy sucked in a breath and buried himself further under the covers of the hospital blanket, "You saw me and I'm fine. You can leave now."

"Bambino, _please_ —"

"Leave!" Peter shouted, shaking with anger under the covers. He felt Tony's hand slip away from his waist and eventually heard the door close. Peter was left alone in silence, only the snow outside to keep him company.

Peter was allowed to nap and rest, the nurse occasionally waking him up to check his vitals and change his IV. He was utterly exhausted. As he laid in the bed watching the cartoons play on the tv, he thought about Tony again. No one had come to visit him since he first got here; Tony probably telling them that he didn't want to be disturbed. Which was true, for the most part.

He wanted to see Happy. He wanted to thank him for finding him out on the little park trail and for being there for him, even though Peter never noticed it. He sighed and rolled over to face the door of the hospital room, waiting for a staff member to come in again to tell him to let in the visitors.

A few minutes passed and the nurse came in, Peter telling her softly that he wanted to see Happy. She looked at him quizzically, "You don't want to see your parents? I think your little sister is here too." Peter stiffed and shook his head, "N-No...just him."

She shrugged her shoulders and called Happy into the room, coming back in with the man in tow. Happy took one look at Peter and let out a relieved sigh, "Hey, kid. You're feeling a lot better?"

Happy made his way over to the bed, sitting down on the edge and watching Peter carefully as if he didn't want to scare him. Peter hummed and nodded, snuggling further into the heated blankets. He felt safer already.

He smiled, reaching over to ruffle Peter's hair, "That's good. That's _really_ good. You scared me half to death when I saw you buried in the snow. Nearly gave me a heart attack." Peter immediately felt guilty for scaring everyone, but he truly didn't register the cold and he never even realized that he had fallen asleep.

"How did you find me?" He eventually said, eyes peering curiously up at Happy's. The man sighed, situating himself in a better position on the edge of the hospital bed, "Friday tracked a call from an anonymous tip saying that there was an unconscious boy near the river trail. You matched the description so..." Happy's face looked different, like he was trying not to cry.

Peter immediately sat up with a worried glance, "What's wrong?" Happy sniffed and looked away, "I thought you were _dead_ , Peter. When Friday called in with the tip information, I assumed the worst. You weren't talking before—or _eating_ for that matter—and I thought maybe you—"

His breath hitched and he closed his eyes to compose himself, "I just thought I was too late. I made a promise to May—a promise to _protect_ you if something were to ever go wrong with Tony. I thought I had failed the both of you in that moment. When I saw your waxy skin and blue lips, Peter..." Happy held the boy's hand and squeezed, "I thought you would never wake up again. I thought I had lost you for a second time."

Peter blinked his tears away, eagerly squeezing Happy's hand back, "I-I'm sorry. I just couldn't go back. I couldn't handle another day, I thought I was gonna lose it. Especially when no one showed up to the showcase, then Flash broke my project, then Tony's text—" He hiccuped through his tears, "I just thought that nothing would get better...so I ran away. I didn't mean to fall asleep, _really_ , I didn't mean to."

Happy pulled Peter close, squeezing him tight which was so out of character for the man. Peter smiled softly, enjoying the human contact that he'd been craving for the last few months. At that moment, he thought about himself last night and what he had said to May. He told her to give him a sign.

Maybe the sign was in the dream. She didn't want Peter to be with her; she wanted him to wake up and _live_. Peter pulled away and looked Happy in the eyes, "Is Happy your real name? I remember asking you that one time when we came home from Germany, but you didn't answer me." Happy gave him a curious look.

"My name's Harold. Not much better than Happy, unfortunately." He bitterly laughed with a hint of humor. Peter would've laughed too, but he was still caught up in the fact that _Happy_ was the one who pulled him out of that dream. It all made sense now; how the guard was telling him that he wasn't waking up and his lips were blue. He had said he would be there when Peter woke up, and he was.

May hadn't ignored him; _she gave him a sign._ "Why do you ask?"

Peter smiled, pulling himself back into Happy's arms, "No reason."

Peter was kept overnight at the hospital to monitor his temperature and vitals, the Stark family not allowed the visit him per his request. Happy was there for most of the time, keeping Peter company by lounging on the couch in the private room. When he wasn't there, he was updating Tony on how he was doing.

He was on his way back to the lake house now, his nerves trembling with anxiety. Happy was driving him, squeezing his shoulder for assurance when he noticed he got too jumpy. Peter really didn't want to see Tony and the rest of them; he wanted to go back to Queens and live somewhere else. He couldn't take being ignored anymore and he hated the fact that Morgan couldn't tolerate him either.

He leaned down to rub the small scar on his ankle, the wound completely healed since Morgan sliced it open with whatever that object was. Peter had known that Tony had felt immense regret for what he had done, but he wasn't ready to forgive and forget. He was still wary of that fact that things could back to exactly the way they were. At any moment they could continue ignoring him, interrupting him, and not including him in various family activities.

His stomach tossed and turned as they pulled into the driveway, Peter immediately making awkward eye contact with Tony who was waiting for them on the porch. He shifted his eyes down quickly, slowly unbuckling his seatbelt to stall for as long as he could.

Eventually, Peter had to walk up the steps of the porch, holding his arm shyly as he approached Tony. He wanted to go to his room and forget that everything had happened. But, of course, Tony wouldn't let that happen.

The man pulled him into a hug that Peter didn't return, but it seemed like that didn't matter to him. Tony let out a sign of relief and cradled his head, "I'm so sorry, Bambino."

Peter just stared at the lake and tried not to melt into his arms. This is what he wanted for months, right? So why did it feel so wrong to want to accept it? Tony broke the hug when Happy cleared his throat behind him, nodding to the door, "Did you forget? We need to talk."

"Yeah, I didn't forget." Tony sighed, looking a bit terrified which was pretty out of character for him. Peter headed inside first, immediately making a beeline towards te couch where Morgan cut his ankle. He crouched down and moved his hand around until he felt what he was looking for.

He pulled it out from under the couch, the two men behind him coming up to peer curiously as well. Peter squinted his eyes until they widened upon realization, "What is this?" He said softly, raising the object so they could see it.

Tony grabbed it first, cursing under his breath when he saw what it was. It was a small metal broche in the shape of a spiderweb with a red spider jewel in the middle. The back of the pin had been what sliced into Peter's ankle, but that's not what he was concerned about. There was a small banner under the spider jewel that read, _'In Loving Memory of Peter Parker'._

This must've been from when he had been blipped away; when the whole world thought they were dead. It warmed Peter's heart to know that the man had still be thinking about him and even made a keepsake in his memory. But how come he had never seen this before? And how did Morgan get her hands on it?

Happy took it from Tony's hand and held it up to the ceiling light, "I remember this. I thought you packed it away when Pete came back?"

"I _did_. It was in the garage, though I'm not sure how she got her hands on it." Tony explained, going to sit on the couch after an emotionally exhausting day. Peter followed, sitting on the love seat across from the couch, not ready to be within close proximity of Tony just yet. He brought his knees up to his chin and watched as Happy continued to inspect the broche.

"This pin is super sharp. Definitely wouldn't leave just a scratch." The man shrugged, putting the broche in Peter's jacket pocket, "It's yours, kid. You can decide what you want to do with it." Happy offered a small rare smile, patting Peter's knee before going to sit next to Tony.

Peter smiled into his knees, happy with the fact that he was given a choice for once. With everything that had been going on recently, it almost seemed like his freedom was taken with it. He was brought out of his thoughts when Happy cleared his throat to get both of their attention, "Look, we need to get this out of the way before I lose my mind. And since Pepper and Morgan aren't here, Tony, you're going to have to be the one here to make the decision."

Tony furrowed his eyebrows, shifting himself to look at both Happy and Peter, "What decision? I thought you were here to chew my ass out."

Peter blinked, a bit confused as well. What was Happy talking about? "Don't worry, I'll definitely check you once Peter is out of the room. For now, I can see that Peter isn't very happy here. Look at him!" Tony could see plainly that Peter even _looked_ drained; physically and emotionally. That nap in the snow didn't help either, making his skin look even more pale than it already had been.

But the thing that made Tony's heart break was realization. Peter didn't want to be near him anymore. He wasn't happy, he was _uncomfortable_ , upset, and felt ignored. And it was all Tony's fault at the root of it. Tony sucked in a sharp breath, "I _know_. But what do you want to do about it? I can do better, I promise. We can start having movie nights again and lab days like we used to? I just want to make things right again." Tony looked to Peter for any signs of approval, but he was met with tears instead.

"I want to go with Happy."

It had felt like his whole life had just been destroyed. Peter hated him. He gave no hesitation in his answer and looked relieved for a chance to speak his truth. Peter had a chance to feel _good_ again, and damn it, Tony wasn't going to ruin that. He was going to wait. He would wait until Peter felt like he was comfortable enough to be around his family again.

"You're his legal guardian, so of course I need your permission first. I just—" Happy looked to Peter, "—I want him to be happy again. He needs some time away, some time to _think_ and heal. The kid likes it in the city, so why not?"

Peter looked at him with pleading brown eyes, similar to the time so long ago where they had their first argument on the roof. Except that time, Peter had made a mistake. This time, it was Tony. He wasn't going to make another one.

"Okay..." He breathed, "Okay. I just want what's best for you, Peter. If you feel like you need some time away, then please, take all the time you need. I never got the chance to apologize fully, but when you're ready, I would love to." He gave Peter a small smile that wasn't returned. Instead, the boy buried his face back into his knees and started crying harder.

Happy leaned over to whisper something in his ear, causing Peter to spring up and run upstairs to his room. Tony watched the interaction with jealousy that wasn't warranted; he wished that he had that type of relationship with Peter again. Where Peter trusted him and wanted to be around him.

When he knew that Peter would want hugs and cuddles, but Tony never rewarded him with those things. God, he felt like his own father. The things he had been doing to Peter were so eerily similar, it made him want to throw up. Tony had promised himself that he wouldn't end up being like Howard.

When they heard Peter's door close, Happy put his full attention on Tony, his soft composure completely out the window. "I'm going to need you to explain yourself before Peter stays with me permanently. Just because we've been good friends for years doesn't mean I won't take your ass to court."

"If you want the truth, then _honestly, I don't know_! I don't know _why_ I've been ignoring him and avoiding him; I didn't even realize I was doing it until he ran away. It was all the shit that I saw in his room that made me realize how badly I fucked up. If you wanted a good excuse, then I don't have one for you." Tony buried his face in his hands, trying to compose himself in front of his friend.

The last thing he needed was to start crying over a mistake that _he_ made. Happy wasn't buying it, straight faced with a frown, "If you want kids, you need to realize that they come in all ages, shapes, and sizes. Peter is a _teenage boy_. He's still figuring out his way around the world—and unfortunately he had to do it _twice_ —he needs someone who will be there to support him and listen to him. He needs someone to hug when he's feeling lost and confused. He has no one, Tony. _No one_."

Tony sighed behind his hands, completely end utterly ashamed with the way he was treating his boy. Peter honestly deserved better; he deserved someone who could give him the attention he needed. Unfortunately, that wasn't Tony right now.

Neither of them said a word after that, Happy going up to Peter's room to help him pack his clothes for the next few months. Tony brooded in the living room, staying out until he heard Peter's soft voice coming down the stairs.

"No...I think I got everything—"

Peter made eye contact with Tony, quickly looking to the ground and rolling his suitcase to the front door. The man's heart collapsed, but he stood up anyway to say goodbye to the two of them.

They went out to the porch, Happy going ahead to unlock the car and get the trunk ready. Tony took the chance to talk to Peter alone, "Bambino?"

Peter stopped walking, but didn't turn around, "What?" Tony gulped, a bit nervous to talk to him all of sudden. This must've been how Peter felt to talk to anyone in the family. Karma's a real bitch, Stark.

"Look at me, please?"

Peter stood there for a few seconds before turning around, looking at Tony with those big brown doe eyes. He hated seeing them filled with so much sadness, it seemed like something was missing within the boy. Tony took a step forward and cupped Peter's cheek, wiping away a stray tear with him thumb, "Whenever you're ready, I'll be here. I won't make the same mistake again."

It seemed like Peter was losing his composure, soon after proving Tony right when the boy flung himself into Tony's arms, face red and full of tears, "I love you, Mr. Stark. Just give me time, o-okay?"

Tony blinked in surprise before hugging his little boy, squeezing tight like he would never let go again, "I love you too, Peter."

Tony did end up waiting—for quite awhile actually. It had marked three months since Peter left that day, the boy still recovering from his emotional exhaustion at the lake house. Tony called him everyday, noticing how the Peter's voice had become more animated again.

Happy would send him pictures of Peter sleeping in his room in the city, his cheeks full and childlike again. His complexion had gone from pale to a nice healthy tan that Tony was used to seeing. He was so happy for Peter—and undeniably proud.

Pepper had called the boy a few times, apologizing profusely about her behavior towards him. Peter would stay quiet every single time, still not really used to the woman's company yet. They had never been close, so it was a little harder to ease them back together than it had been with Tony.

Morgan was a whole other issue. The little girl would cry every time Peter's name was even mentioned, the guilt eating at her more than anyone else. She had gotten her outside toys taken away after Peter went with Happy and given a huge lecture about how completely inappropriate it was to physically hurt someone else. Her brother no less.

Tony calmly explained to her what Peter had gone through, losing two sets of parents and having to leave his hometown to come out to a completely different environment. She would nod, understanding every word with tear stained cheeks.

Today was like any other ordinary day, Tony waited until Peter got home from school to call him as usual. When his phone rang at 4 PM, he hurriedly raced to pick up the device. Peter's face came to view on the screen with a big happy smile, "Hey, Mr. Stark! You'll never guess what happened today!"

Tony smiled back and leaned against the couch, "Hm, did you finally convince Happy to get you Animal Crossroads?"

Peter giggled, the sound making Tony's heart swell in happiness, "It's called Animal _Crossing_. And no, I wish. He said that I have to finish reading The Catcher in the Rye before he even considers it."

"MJ?"

"Yeah."

Peter was still bouncing in excitement, plain as all to see, "But thats off topic! I finally got the chance to rebuild my robot! You know, the one Flash broke?" Tony scoffed at the mere mention of the other boy's name, " _Flash_. And congratulations, Bambino, I knew you would get the chance again."

The boy mumbled a shy 'thank you' before a blush came to his cheeks. Tony noticed him shifting around a lot in his bed, "What's got you squirming?"

Peter didn't answer for a few seconds, the blush on his cheeks deepening before clearing his throat, "I was just gonna ask...if you wanted to help me this time? For real?" Tony stopped breathing for a second, remembering the countless times he would leave Peter alone in the lab to do everything himself. He felt disgusting.

"Are you sure you want me to help you this time?" Peter nodded eagerly, "I wanted your help from the beginning, but...you know..."

Tony knew for sure, but then another thought came to him. If Peter wanted to his help, did that mean—

"Are you ready?"

Peter blinked at the camera for a minute until he realized the question. A soft smile graced his lips, his eyes sparkling in happiness, "I think so. If you're willing." Tony could drop and die right there, his heart soaring at the thought of having his little boy back again. Peter was so kind, a true and genuine look of hope and confidence.

If this had been three months ago, he didn't think that Peter would even look at him to ask such a daring question. "Of course I'm willing, Pete. I've been waiting for you. I've got some new things set up in the house and Morgan _really_ wants to apologize. She talks about you nonstop now; she asks if you still have booboos in your heart."

The boy laughed at that, his face glowing in joy, "I think I'm getting better. It's definitely something I don't want to go through again, but I'm willing to give it another shot. I love Happy _so much_ , but..."

His smile faded to a softer one; a _longing_ one, "I'm ready to go home."

It took Peter a few days to pack and make his way over to the lake house, he knee bouncing up and down in the car as Happy drove them out of the city. The hand was wasn't steering came to rest on his knee, giving it a gentle squeeze, "Are you anxious nervous? Happy nervous? You're scaring me, kid."

"No no no, I'm just happy nervous I guess? I can't wait to see Tony again, but I'm also scared. What if Pepper and Morgan didn't change after all? Tony said that if they didn't like me, then I wouldn't be there." Happy flared his nostrils at the reminder, but kept his eyes on the road, "If none of them end up treating you the way you deserve, then your ass is coming right back with me. Just say the word and I'll come get you, okay?"

Peter nodded, his knee not bouncing up and down as often at the thought, "Okay."

They drove up to the drive way and were met with a sight that Peter had never even seen before, not even when he had come back from the snap. Pepper was holding Morgan on her hip with Tony at her side on the front porch, all _three_ of them waiting for his arrival. Peter couldn't hold in his smile even if he tried; this felt like a _real_ family.

Happy put the car in park and grabbed Peter's hand, giving it another gentle squeeze, "I just wanted to say that I'm proud of you, Peter. You have no idea how happy I am to see you smiling again. I know I give you a hard time, but I'm truly going to miss you nagging at me all the time for something stupid."

Peter squeezed back, "I'm still going to nag you after school for some ice cream. _And_ Animal Crossing when I finish The Catcher in the Rye!"

Happy let out a rare chuckle, "Alright, I look forward to it, kid." They both got out of the car, Peter immediately bolting towards the Stark family. He had imagined this scene so many times, where he would come home to a whole family who wanted him. Like Aunt May and Uncle Ben.

When he got up to the porch, he threw himself in Tony's arms, "Mr. Stark! I missed you so much."

Tony didn't hesitate to hug him back, even going as far to lift him off the ground which made Peter giggle in delight. Pepper watched with amusement, Morgan even letting out a shy smile at the thought of him being back. The house had felt a little too empty with him.

"I missed you too, my Bambino. God, you have no idea how great it feels to hug you again." Tony sighed, setting Peter on the ground before giving him a big kiss on the forehead. Peter removed himself from Tony to give Pepper a hug too, "H-Hi, Miss Potts—oh! I mean, Mrs. Stark." He awkwardly said. It was apparent that he was still not used to Pepper's company just yet, but he was trying his best.

Pepper didn't mind and hugged him back as best as she could with one arm, "Hi, Peter. It's nice to see your face again." She smiled, pinching his cheek playfully just like she did with Morgan.

Peter shyly rubbed the spot before his eyes landed on Morgan. He nervously smiled and waved a little, "Hi, Morgan."

Morgan watched him with a thumb in her mouth, her eyes filling up with tears when she heard his voice, "I'm sorry Petey!" She sobbed, making grabby hands at the boy. Peter didn't know what to do, looking around to Tony and Pepper for help, "Uh, i-it's okay! I'm better now, I don't have booboos in my heart anymore."

That made her stop crying, her wails turning into sniffles, "Really?" Peter nodded, grabbing her small hands, "Really. You want to know why?" Morgan nodded, leaning in closer towards her older brother.

"Because family forgives each other. It just took me some time to realize that I was _okay_ and I had people around me that loved me. I had Happy and Ned and MJ to help me...and I was always thinking about you guys." Peter said softly, never breaking eye contact with the toddler. Tony came up to behind him to squeeze his shoulder, a silent 'I'm proud of you' that Peter could hear from miles away.

Morgan sniffled, wrapping her small fingers around Peter's own, "You're not mad at me anymore? Even though I hurt your ankle?" The boy smiled, "I'm not mad. There's not even a scar there anymore, so I'm okay."

She gave him a wobbly smile before shyly burying her face in her mom's neck. Peter laughed, grabbing Tony's hand and leading him towards the car, "Come help me with my bags. I came home with an extra one since Happy insisted he buy me new winter clothes." At the mention, Tony's heart filled with guilt again, realizing that he hadn't even taken Peter to go clothes shopping.

Peter didn't notice, eagerly dragging the older male down the gravel driveway. Tony waved Peter's hands away when he tried to grab them, "I'll get these and take them to your room. Go say goodbye to Happy."

The boy nodded as he watched Tony disappear into the house. When he was sure he was gone, Peter turned to look at Happy, "I'm going to miss you. And all the times I would wake you up when I had nightmares." He said solemnly, looking down at the small pebbles as he thought about all the good times he had in the past three months.

"Yeah, me too kid. Never would I have imagined that all it took were some cuddles to calm you down." Happy scoffed playfully, pulling Peter into a tight hug. "I can still come over every other weekend, right?"

"You're welcome anytime you want, Peter."

Peter happily sighed into the man's shoulder, squeezing tight, "Drive safe, okay?" Happy pulled away and brushed a stray curl out of Peter's face, "I always drive safe. But I'll let you know when I get home."

"Good."

Peter watched as Happy drove away, not missing how the man's eyes looked a bit glossier than usual. He smiled as the car disappeared into the surrounding trees, making his way into the lake house with dread for once. He finally felt _home_.

Tony had done a lot with the place, obviously with Peter in mind from the obvious decisions he made. There was a brand new lab that almost resembled the same layout at the one in the Tower, except this time, it was in the basement. His room was redecorated to feel more cozy which was a _huge_ upgrade from the one he had previously.

His old room had nothing on the walls and no decoration whatsoever, but this one felt a lot better to Peter. There wasn't anything on the shelves yet since both Tony and Pepper wanted to boy to put his own things up. Peter was definitely going to put his Avengers action figures on there.

They had hung up pictures of him all over the house as well, the Stark Internship one being the first picture that Peter noticed. Tony had also managed to snag a bunch of Peter's baby pictures that hung beside Morgan's. Everything had felt so different than previously.

He hadn't felt like apart of the Stark family before, but now he _did_. It almost felt like he was back home in his apartment with May. It was the feeling of personalization, care, and _love_ that made Peter happy. Tony watched as Peter took in his surroundings with big brown eyes, basically seeing the joy seeping out of them.

The day had been spent watching movies with everyone, Pepper conversing easily with Peter. All it had taken was a little effort, something that they weren't doing previously. Morgan was still a bit shy around Peter, obviously not wanting to hurt him or his feelings again.

Night fell, the family ate their dinner together, laughing and smiling just like old times at the Tower. Peter felt so at home, and he never wanted to leave.

When Pepper and Morgan went to bed, Peter approached Tony who had just gotten changed into his pajamas. "Mr. Stark? Uhm...I was a little nervous about asking you this, but...would it be alright if you slept with me tonight? I'm just nervous about my nightmares, especially with my sleep paralysis happening in that room..." He said shyly, shifting his feet from left to right.

"Of course, Bambino. Let me brush my teeth and I'll be right there." He said, kissing Peter softly on his head before disappearing into his bathroom. Peter let out a huge sign of relief, making his way down the hall to collapse tiredly on his bed. Today was probably the most perfect day of his entire life.

It hadn't even been this cozy when Peter first arrived here. The first time around, it felt like Peter was shoved into a room and they lived around him. Now, it felt like he was being lived _with_. He felt like their kid, and he finally had a little sister.

Peter smiled into his pillow, looking at the foundation of the Lego family he had started to build all those months ago. He hurried to grab a small piece of paper and wrote down,

_Things I Love About the Stark House #10_

_They love me back!_

Peter gently added the paper into the foundation and crawled back into bed to stare at the door. After a few moments, he could hear Tony saying goodnight to Morgan and singing her a quick lullaby before he footsteps got closer and closer and _closer_ —

Peter watched at the doorknob twisted and light from the hallway flooded into the room.

_Tony opened the door._

“Pete? Are you already asleep?” The man whispered, making his way further into the room as Peter bit his lip, suppressing his growing smile. “No, I was waiting for you,” He whispered back.

Tony crawled into bed next to Peter, pulling the boy close to his chest, “Good, I thought you would get a nightmare before I even had a chance to help.” He said, digging his head further into Peter’s pillows.

Peter tucked his head under Tony’s chin and wrapped his limbs around the man, “Goodnight, Mr. Stark.” Tony reached up to cradle his head, running his fingers through the boy’s curls, “Goodnight, baby. Have sweet dreams.”

_“Ben, I can’t believe you forgot the sandwiches!” May exclaimed, playfully slapping her husband’s arm. Peter watched the interaction from the picnic blanket with a huge smile on his face. “Hey, you were the one nagging me to hurry up! It’s proven that people are more likely to forget things if they’re rushed.”_

_“Is that so?” May said dubiously, shaking her head in mock disbelief before her eyes landed on Peter._

_“Hey, baby. Are you happy? Can we rest now?”_

_Peter blinked, looking up at Ben and May before looking back behind him. There, he saw Tony, Pepper, Morgan, Happy, Ned, and MJ all eating on a picnic blanket not to far from them. They had sandwiches._

_He smiled softly, tears in his eyes as he turned around and saw their kind faces. They wanted him to let go._

_“I’m happy. I’m okay. I love you.” He whispered, voice trembling as he watched them stand up and hold each of his hands. They led him over to where everyone else was, gently setting him down on the blanket and handing him a sandwich._

_“We love you too, sweetheart.” Ben kissed his forehead, May following him soon after before intertwining their own fingers. They walked away, leaving Peter on the blanket with his new family._

Peter jolted awake, eyes wide as he took in his surroundings. He heard doves cooing outside and saw the sunrise coming up from his window. Tony shifted next to him, tugging him close, “Was it another nightmare, Bambino?” He whispered in a raspy morning voice, clearly not entirely awake yet.

Peter thought about it for a minute before softly shaking his head, “No. I’m okay. It’s okay.”

And for once, he believed himself wholeheartedly. He had unraveled himself from a lie and had seen the truth. He had _hope_. Hope for a better future and hope for his new family.

“... _I’m okay_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg omg omg it’s HERE! i finally finished it after weeks of putting out chapters. i’m sorry this one took longer than usual, it takes me about a week to write a 4k word chapter and this one was approximately 8907 words so...
> 
> some things i wanted to point out:  
> 1\. in my previous fic, ‘tell me what to do’, a few of you mentioned that peter’s relationship with ned and mj wasn’t portrayed in the way you wanted it to be. meaning that they weren’t being good friends despite a misunderstanding. i really tried to portray a healthy relationship between the three in this fic, so i hope you caught the difference!  
> 2\. if you would like to see a day in the life of peter living with happy, don’t worry! i’ll be putting out a one-shot fic with them in this au since a couple of requests have rolled in for those two.  
> 3\. did you catch the hints in peter’s dreams? specifically may’s message ;)
> 
> i’m so glad that i decided to take on this request, i had so much fun writing this and i hope you enjoyed it as well. i appreciate all the comments about your theories, questions, and general support! i would once again like to thank anoncat, carpdiem369, and emma for inspiration for scenarios and requests. i dont mind at all if you would like to leave some more ideas for future fics! once again, thank you so much for all the support and thank you for reading 💓
> 
> now to wait for the wave of tony hate comments 🙈


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